


How Hermione Learned Quidditch

by wish123



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Developing Friendships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hermione dawns a male disguise, Hogwarts Eighth Year, POV Hermione Granger, Quidditch, Quidditch Player Draco Malfoy, Quidditch Player Ginny Weasley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24530896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wish123/pseuds/wish123
Summary: Hufflepuff, to everyone’s surprise, is rumored to be a top contender to win the inter-house Quidditch Cup. Returning for her eighth year, Hermione is recruited by Ginny and the Gryffindor house team to spy on Hufflepuff’s Quidditch practices in order for them to gain insider information. The only problem is that Hermione knows little about the sport of Quidditch. Disguising herself as a Hufflepuff student, she has an accidental run-in with Draco. He attempts to befriend her Hufflepuff persona, Robbie Fenwick. Leveraging a friendship with Draco, she asks him to help her learn the sport so she can be of use to her house team. Draco and Robbie become friends, but what starts as intrigue for Hermione turns into feelings for him.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 51
Kudos: 162
Collections: Quidditch Stories





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic back in April as part of a Camp Nano group and am finally starting to post it. This will be roughly seven chapters and I will attempted to update weekly. 
> 
> One of my favorite kdramas is Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010 - its now 10 years old!!) and this story was inspired by the archery competition and thinking through what's something someone could teach Hermione. :)

Hufflepuff was poised to win the Inter-House Quidditch Cup this year. That’s right-- _Hufflepuff_. 

No one was quite sure how, but word going around the Hogwarts rumor mill was that they had dumped almost their entire team and started from scratch to rebuild their talent. Apparently, the makeup of this new one had more chemistry. 

Ginny, who had claimed the spot of Gryffindor Team Captain, was sick with anxiety over it. Hufflepuff was just about all she talked about with Hermione at breakfast, between classes, in classes, and during evenings in the common room. She put so much pressure on herself as the captain. Hermione knew she badly wanted to leave a legacy behind for Gryffindor, and that included winning the Cup under her leadership. Hermione was certain she would be scouted by a professional Quidditch team this year. Ginny kept her spirits up when around the team, but based on what Hermione fielded from her, she was worried the anxiety and pressure would eat her alive. 

Ginny (Chaser) had assembled the current Gryffindor team for a meeting in the common room. This year’s team was made up of Cormac McLaggen (Keeper), Dean Thomas (Seeker), Demelza Robins (Chaser), Jimmy Peakes (Beater), Katie Bell (Chaser), and Ritchie Coote (Beater). Hermione was seated at a table next to their gathering. She was attempting to concentrate on her book but she couldn’t help but listen along as Ginny led the meeting. She anticipated that Ginny would want to debrief about it later, so she wanted to keep on top of the highlights of the conversation. 

They were strategizing about the upcoming season and theorizing--or perhaps catastrophizing--the threat that Hufflepuff would be this year. Cormac and Dean were returning eighth-years, just like Hermione. Ron and Harry had both chosen an offer from the Ministry to go straight into Auror training. There were certainly perks to being part of the golden trio that brought down one of the darkest wizards of all time. Hermione, however, had turned down offers to enter the Ministry. She felt it best for her to return to school and finish her final year. 

Demelza was the first to offer up a suggestion to gain more insight into the new and improved Hufflepuff team. “We could always try to find a way to get some insider information on their practices.”

“How do you suppose we would do that? They have closed practices just like the rest of us.” Dean seemed to be the most negative of the group throughout the discussion so far. 

Demelza rebutted, “It’s only closed to members of other houses. Maybe we could find someone in their house to help us.” 

“We could Imperius one of them.” All eyes, including Hermione’s, glared at Cormac - the idiocracy of his comment plastered on everyone’s faces.

“I am, of course, joking,” he quickly defended. 

Dean jumped in. “No Hufflepuff would ever give up insider information. This is the closest they’ll ever come to winning, Hufflepuffs have the greatest house loyalty of any of us. There’s no way we could get someone to do it.” 

Ginny attempted to redirect the discussion. “I understand where everyone is coming from. The easiest way to prepare is if we know what we are up against. I don’t know if it is realistic to try and get insider information at this point. I think we are going to need to move to two-a-day practices.”

The group collectively groaned. Hermione was proud of Ginny for being a voice of reason. However, their lackluster response frustrated Ginny. 

“Oh come on, you pansies, how badly do you want this Cup? For many of us, this is our last chance to take it!” 

“I’ve got it!” said Dean. “We can’t find someone within their house, but we could plant a Hufflepuff in there and take the secrets for ourselves.” 

“You mean like a disguise?” asked Demelza. 

“Exactly!” 

Hermione couldn’t help inserting herself into their conversation at this point. 

“Dean, how do you suppose you do that? None of you are skilled enough, nor do you have the time to dedicate to making enough polyjuice potion to pull that off. You’d have to be exceedingly advanced in transfiguration to make convincing alterations to your appearance. That type of transfiguration work is well beyond what we have been taught at Hogwarts.” She did not enjoy being the Moaning Myrtle of the group, but they were taking this to a new extreme and she felt Ginny needed someone in her corner. 

She did not expect the smirk that developed on Ginny’s face. 

“What?” Hermione asked Ginny skeptically. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You’re right. As always, Hermione. Our level of skill is not up to the task, but _yours_ is.” 

Ginny was in front of her in a second begging. “Hermione, come on, PLEASE, you don’t even need to be here this year. You’re the only one of us who could pull off your plan--”

“My plan?!”

“--and you would never want to rob your best friend of her last chance to win the House Cup!” 

“What if we get caught? Have you thought about the consequences?” Hermione attempted to admonish Ginny.

“IF we were caught, there’s no rules against what we are doing. Any house can make their practices closed. For someone to infiltrate their practice would be highly frowned upon but none of us would get into trouble or be disqualified. I think your conscience right now is the biggest hurdle.” 

“I think there are larger hurdles than my conscience if you are sending me into a Quidditch practice.”

She felt the weight of Ginny and the team staring at her, waiting for an answer. She wanted to help Ginny if she could, and she had more time on her hands this year without Harry, Ron, or the usual threat of death to overcome. This could fill some extra time outside of studying and help members of her house. 

“Alright--I’ll do it.” 

Ginny was giddy upon her acceptance and engulfed her in a bear hug. “Oh, thank you, Hermione! I owe you one!”

\------

Hermione sampled a few disguises with Ginny and Katie. The one they landed on was modeled after Viktor Krum -- she didn’t think they noticed. She’d given herself a curved nose, thick eyebrows, and flattened her lips to look a bit less feminine. She didn’t do any adjustments to her hair color, she simply transfigured her long bushy hair into a short, disheveled bush on the top of her head. The day of the first practice, she decided to use a supply closet just off the courtyard to don the disguise along with a set of Hufflepuff robes. 

She’d initially intended to transfigure her Gryffindor robes into Hufflepuff ones but, Cormac, who had miraculously made prefect this year, had slipped a set from one of their lockers in the Prefect's bathroom. He insisted it was a spare and that he had not left someone to problem solve how they’d maneuver through the corridors in their birthday suit. 

He’d brushed off her protests. “Trust me--they won’t even realize it’s missing!” 

It deeply bothered her they had now resorted to larceny to pull this off. 

Standing ready to depart the supply closet, Hermione’s stomach was fluttering with nerves. She thought back to when she had entered Gringotts as Bellatrix Lestrange. The stakes were insurmountably higher, but she felt just as nervous now as she did then. She took a deep breath and headed out towards the Quidditch pitch. 

As she followed the path down, she passed several groups of students, none of whom paid her any attention. That helped boost her confidence as she proceeded. She neared the pitch and saw Hufflepuff house members standing guard at the entrance. She found Hufflepuff loyalty admirable--if the team really was as good as they were rumored to be, she wasn’t surprised by the extent they were going to ensure their success this season. 

She picked up her pace to land just behind a group of three girls in front of her. She hoped that if they registered the robes, they wouldn’t pay as much attention to her. She walked right past them through the entrance and they didn’t pay her a second glance.

Hermione decided to scope out a spot that put some distance between her and the other students in order to avoid any exchanges. She was regretting committing to this for Ginny. She knew the positions in Quidditch, and the sport was straightforward enough to know when which team was in possession. In terms of the intricate details, she was clueless. When it came to an attempted goal, a true Quidditch fan would be able to tell the difference between the prime setup versus a long shot. They would only react when they saw the setup was opportune. Hermione was the type of observer who cheered simply because her team had the Quaffle in possession and the Chaser was near the rings. She couldn’t tell the difference. She was not sure how she was supposed to truly help Ginny and the rest of the team understand what exactly differentiated Hufflepuff from the rest--this was the part that seemed to be underdeveloped in their plan. 

Two hours of practice passed. They looked good. However, she thought the Gryffindor team looked good at practice last week and as she anticipated, she could not describe any differences between the two. She walked back to the castle, reviewing the mental notes she’d taken on certain plays or unique things she thought were impressive. She was so preoccupied that she was not paying attention when her body slammed into something solid--a person. She hit the ground hard.

Hermione groaned in response to the aches that shot through her body. 

“You okay, mate?”

Hermione froze. She knew that voice. Her eyes shot open only to be immediately blinded by the direct sunlight. She opened her eyes slowly this time but wasn’t met with the same strength of sun rays. They were now blocked by none other than Draco Malfoy looking down at her with his trademark smirk.


	2. Chapter 2

“Sorry, I must not have been paying attention.“ 

Hermione wondered if she had sustained a head injury. She thought she just heard Draco extend an apology and claim fault in the same sentence. 

“You...don’t apologize, especially not to Hufflepuffs.” In her disorientated state, it didn’t immediately occur to her that her statement might have lacked tact. 

“Things change. Let me help you up.” Draco proceeded to extend his hand to help her up. 

“Uh--thanks. I can get up myself.” Hermione realized her voice sounded too...like her. She cleared her throat to reach a lower octave. “It was my fault. I was thinking about something and wasn’t looking where I was going.” 

“Sounds like we might be both to blame then. I’m Draco, by the way. Draco Malfoy.” He stuck out his hand again to initiate a greeting. 

Hermione thought it was humorous he was introducing himself, as if everyone didn’t know him. If there was one justification for Draco’s pridefulness, she could certainly give him that people knew his family. 

“Yes, I know who you are.” 

Draco seemed to gloss over that though and kept his hand extended. “So, what’s your name?” 

Hermione said the first name that popped into her head but refused to take his extended hand.

“Robbie Fenwick.” She moved to hold her head feigning an injury to avoid taking his hand. Despite this abnormal streak of friendliness, she and Draco had never gotten along. 

“You okay there, Fenwick?”

“Yes, I think I just hit my head a bit harder than I anticipated.” 

“Better make a visit to the hospital wing, head injuries can be quite nasty.” 

“I probably will--thanks.” Hermione moved to step around Draco and avoid further conversation with him. 

“Wait up--I’ll join you.” 

“It’s really not necessary.” 

“Probably not, but just in case. Are you new this year? A transfer? I haven’t seen you around before.” 

“Um--no. Been here for the last six years.” Hermione figured Draco would easily buy that--Hogwarts itself was a large school. She banked on the fact that Draco didn’t pay much attention that much to students outside of Slytherin. 

“Aw--sorry, we must not have crossed paths before. You like Quidditch, then?” 

Hermione gave him a look of confusion. 

“Quidditch--that’s where you were coming from, right? Your house’s Quidditch practice?” 

“Right. Yes, I love Quidditch. It’s my favorite sport.” 

“What’s your favorite team?” 

Hermione’s immediate reaction was to spout off Ron’s favorite team but for the life of her she couldn’t recall it. She went with the first team that came to mind.

“The, uh, Holyhead Harpies.” 

Draco let out a laugh that sounded straight from his belly. “You like the Harpies? My best mate Blaise enjoys watching them too but for more than their skills if you know what I mean.” 

Gross. The last person she wanted to engage in boy-talk with was Draco. Hermione couldn’t seem to let the comment go though. 

“I’ll have you know it is groundbreaking what that club has done for women and the sport!” 

Draco was taken aback so much by her outburst that he stopped walking altogether. His mouth was agape as he looked at her.

“I--I didn’t mean to offend. I mean, Gwonog Jones is undoubtedly one of the best beaters in the league.” 

Draco began following again after a moment. They spent the rest of the walk up to the hospital wing in silence, stopping just before the doors. 

“Well, thanks. I’m good from here.” 

“Sure--did you want me to explain to Madam Pomfrey what happened before I go?”

Who was this Draco? Helpful and friendly were never words that would have ever come to her mind to describe the Draco she knew. It crossed her mind that maybe he was doing this as some sort of atonement. 

“No, really-uh-mate. It’s fine. I can take care of myself. Thank you for your concern.” 

“Don’t mention it. Well, see you around sometime.” 

Hermione moved to enter the hospital wing to ensure that Draco would leave for sure. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen. She waited a few minutes before exiting again. She found an empty space to transfigure her appearance and change her clothes back to normal before returning to the common room to give her first update to Ginny. 

\-----

That evening, as Hermione and Ginny were getting ready for bed, Hermione relayed her observation from practice that day. Hermione had always prided herself in her exceptional attention to detail, she could absorb things like a sponge. However, as she laid out for Ginny all the mental notes she had taken, she experienced an unfamiliar feeling of inadequacy. 

“So, Sanders, May and Robinson formed a V shape and scored. That’s all you recall for that play?”

Hermione gulped. She knew she wouldn’t be able to recall the right details.

“Yes.”

Ginny grabbed the bridge of her nose and let out a frustrated sigh. 

“Hermione! Pay attention when you’re out there! You’re supposed to be the brightest witch of your age!"

“Hey! I was paying attention. I stayed for almost the entire practice looking for clues as to anything special they were doing.” 

“But what did they DO--break right? Break left? Split the V?! Did they move the Quaffle between players?” Ginny’s questions became progressively louder the more she prodded for additional details.

“Ginny, I’m not going to do this if you’re going to yell at me. I’m doing this as a favor to you. Honestly, it's really your own fault. You know I don’t have an interest in Quidditch and you still asked me to do it.” 

That silenced Ginny for a few moments. 

“You’re right. It’s like I sent you out to duel without a wand. Alright, Hermione, you and I will have Quidditch lessons until you get it and then you’ll really be useful to us.”

Hermione could tell Ginny did not mean that as a backhanded comment, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t. 

\-----

A few days later, Hermione was again transfigured into ‘Robbie.’ Her disguise now had a name thanks to Draco, of all people. She again positioned herself far from other Hufflepuffs and began taking notes. 

Even after Ginny’s mini-lesson last night, she did not feel confident that she could fully grasp what she was watching before her. She’d never actually had to pay that much attention during games over the years. All that mattered was that her friends hit, blocked or caught any of the objects out on the pitch. She knew when they scored a goal and when they missed a goal. It was a bonus if they all managed to evade injuries. She couldn’t make out any plays. Only two days into this and she couldn’t believe the massive blow this was having on her knowledge base. 

She stayed and watched practice for a good hour before resigning to the fact that she would really need more lessons from Ginny before she could really start to take effective notes on what she was observing. 

Hermione neared the castle and was heading towards the closet to change when she was halted by the voice of Draco. 

“Fenwick. Fancy running into you again.” 

Hermione couldn’t figure out what punishment Merlin was bestowing upon her that made her run into Draco every time she donned this persona. 

“Did you recover from the other day?” 

“Yes, I was fine. Pomfrey didn’t see any reason for concern. Just a bump on the head.” 

She was hoping Draco would go away. She was worried that yesterday might have been a fluke and he was going to pull something on her. 

“I hear the team’s rather good this year. Think you guys will really win the house cup?” 

Hermione stopped in her tracks. Draco was obviously continuing to linger alongside her and she was starting to see this small talk was going to continue on. She wanted to wrap this up. 

“Draco. Listen. You hate Hufflepuffs. Outside of the Triwizard Tournament, you’ve done nothing but torment them-- _us_. What are you playing at?” 

Draco looked at her slack jawed. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before reaching up and running his hand through his hair. 

“I-uh. Yes, you’re right. Wow--Quidditch seemed like a pretty neutral topic but I guess that’s what I deserve after being a prat for some many years.”

He was no longer making eye contact with her. He started shuffling a bit and would glance down at his feet at various points. 

“None of my friends returned this year. No ulterior motive, I’m trying to get to know some other students.”

Well, this was different...and uncomfortable. Draco was not only being vulnerable to a complete stranger but he wanted a friend. 

“Anyway, I didn’t mean to bother you. Enjoy the day.” 

Hermione couldn't help but feel guilty for her reaction. She still questioned his motives. She watched as he started to walk away and head towards the castle. On the other hand, if he was really that lonely, she felt compelled to extend friendship back if that’s what he wanted. Then it hit her. 

_‘Quidditch seemed like a neutral topic.’_

Quidditch. Draco knows about Quidditch--he’s good at it. Hermione needed to learn it and Merlin knew she wasn’t effectively learning it from Ginny. What did she have to lose if maybe she could learn a thing or two from Draco and be able to offer him some friendship at the same time, even if it was as Robbie?

“Hey, Draco! Wait a moment!” 

He looked back at her and she was running after him. 

“You know about Quidditch, right?” 

“Uh, yes?” 

Hermione cringed but recovered. Of course--he was a former house Seeker. 

“Can you teach me?” 

“What?” 

“I don’t actually know anything about Quidditch.”

Draco let out a chuckle. “So, not the Harpies biggest fan then, huh?”

“Nope, it was all bullocks. But not the part about them being groundbreaking.”

“What do you need to learn?” 

“Everything. I watch their-- _our_ \--practices everyday but I don’t understand what’s going on. Can you help me?” 

“Sure, I guess I can do that.” 

“Great--thanks. Can you meet in the library? Tomorrow at 7pm?”

Draco raised his eyebrow. “The library? To learn Quidditch?”

She supposed that did sound rather odd. “Uh, yes. I don’t need to learn to play--only some help with the mechanics.”

“Uh, alright. I have something until then. Can we do 7:30pm?”

“Deal.” 

\-----

Hermione, as Robbie, entered the library the next day at 7:20pm. She headed towards her usual study spot. In preparation for Draco’s arrival, she took out some books in the library that were written about Quidditch and laid out the notes she’d taken as well. She attempted to beef up some details in her notes prior to his arrival. However, Draco approached the table just a few minutes after she had settled in. 

“You took Granger’s spot. Better hope she doesn’t show up to study or she’ll kick us out.” 

Hermione froze mid-scratch with her quill. Draco knew this was her spot--her immediate response was to think that was bizarre but given the volume of time everyone knew she spent in the library studying, perhaps it was simply a well known fact that this was her spot. 

Sitting in the chair across from her, Draco asked where she wanted to start. 

“I don’t need to start from the beginning. I think what I need the most help understanding is the intent behind plays, how it all works together, and what strategy is needed to score or win a match."

Draco didn’t have much of a reaction to her opening comments. Hermione reached for the notebook in which she’d been keeping her notes. 

“Here. I’ve been taking notes, making drawings, trying to understand the intent or purpose behind their plays.” 

Draco gestured for her to hand him her notes. They spent a few moments in silence as he paged back and forth through her notes. 

“What made you decide you all of a sudden wanted to learn Quidditch?” Draco asked as he continued to keep his focus on her notes. 

Hermione paused trying to think of a good answer.

“Our team’s never been very good. Now that they are, it is all the house can talk about. I’m feeling a bit left out.”

Draco nodded. 

“What does your family do?” 

That threw her off. Hermione was usually the picture of preparedness but she hadn’t thought to create that in depth of a backstory for Robbie. 

“My mother is a witch and my father is a muggle. They both work in the muggle world.” 

“What was it like--growing up magical in the muggle world?” Draco lifted his head to ask her the question--the intent seemed to be one of genuine curiosity. 

“Since we lived in the muggle world, they didn’t tell me anything until I was older. It was hard to fully process moments when I would experience accidental magic--I was too afraid to say anything if it happened when they were not around. If they ever did notice it, they never acknowledged it one way or the other, probably not to worry me."

“That’s kind of sad to hear--they kept you completely away from magic that entire time.” 

She simply nodded. She felt uncomfortable further elaborating on an experience which was not hers but she also disliked what her lie was implying about her own parents. Draco must have sensed she wanted to move on and returned to her notes. 

“Here.” Draco held her notes up so that they could both view the same thing. She’d enchanted the play that she had drawn in order to see how the players and the Quaffle were moving. “Do you see this one? When you look at how the chasers are positioned, you’re seeing it as a V. From what I can tell this is a Hawkshead Attacking Formation. What you should be seeing is actually an arrowhead as that’s the foundation of the play. Its intent is intimidation but they’re coupling it with some unique Quaffle movement between the three of them. You’ve got another one in here where I imagine they are practicing a Porskoff Ploy which is pretty common. If you can learn some of the basic moves that will help you better understand what they are doing and eventually what’s unique about their play this year.” 

Draco finished his review and nudged the notes back across the table. “You know, you better be careful with those notes. Considering all the rumors going around about your house’s team this year, there’s a lot of other students who would kill to get a hold of them.” 

Draco then gestured towards the books she had picked out. “You’re not going to be able to learn what you want about Quidditch from a book. That will only tell you the basics, the history, but it's not what you’re after. I can tell from your notes your focus is too narrow.” 

“Narrow?”

“When you’re watching, you’re only taking notes of what the chasers are doing. Are you watching the Beaters and the Keeper?”

“Of course, I’m watching them--”

“But do you see they are enacting plays as well? While chasers are the point scorers, you’re not recognizing the strategic moves that the keeper is enacting, or the beaters. What you’re watching isn’t making sense to you because you’re only paying attention to one pawn on the chessboard.” 

Hermione stayed silent. What he was saying made sense. It was humbling to have to accept such simplistic advice from someone else. 

“Okay. Then how do I learn it? How do I broaden my scope to see the bigger picture?” 

“I think you need to experience it. You need to learn to play it.” 

Hermione felt like ice was running through her body. She only flew on a broom when she was forced to, or if you considered last year, she only flew if it was a matter of life or death. The idea that she would learn to play Quidditch was preposterous. 

“Surely, there’s a way to teach me without playing the sport.” 

“Not at the level at which you sound like you want to learn it.” 

“I’ve never played Quidditch in my life. I rarely even fly!”

“You know how to fly though, don’t you?”

“Y-yes, of course I know how to fly. Who doesn’t know how to fly?” 

Draco looked at her skeptically. “Fenwick, do you know how to fly?”

Now it felt like he was taunting her.

“I know _how_ to fly. Just not very well.” 

“Well, that’s step one. Meet me out on the practice fields west of the Quidditch stadium tomorrow. Make sure to dress comfortably.” 

Hermione was speechless. Draco was going to teach her to play Quidditch. What had she just gotten herself into?


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione was thankful for Dean. She was able to borrow clothes from him, no questions asked, for her practice with Draco. Draco must have anticipated that she would not have a broom and had grabbed one from the school’s inventory. He was holding it when she arrived.

He forced her to start with the basics--summoning, mounting, lift off and landing. She was incredibly embarrassed when it took her a few commands of ‘up’ before the broom responded. She could tell Draco was trying to suppress his amusement. 

“It’s been a long time.” Hermione rationalized. 

“I didn’t say anything,” he cackled. She moved to mount the broom. “Fenwick, did you even take first year flying lessons? Do you recall proper mounting form?”

She could tell his questions were in jest, but she was nervous for what was to come after they’d gotten past the basics. When he started her on fast laps, she was pleasantly surprised by the level of speed she was able to reach. 

By the time Draco had her move to a weaving exercise, she was struggling. Draco made her progress higher and higher with each weave. The higher she climbed, the more her broom shook. abandoned the exercise prematurely and sat on the ground. The feeling of the ground beneath her gave her comfort as she tried to regain her composure. Draco suspended himself just above the ground.

“I can’t do this,” she said as he landed next to her. 

“Can you cast a spell with a wand?” 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly as it sounds...can you cast a spell using a wand?”

“Of course I can.” 

“Look, if you can cast a spell with a wand, you can channel magic through a broom. Just like yesterday, when I was telling you needed to take a step back and look at everything. Flying skills are the foundation. Players aren’t just settling in on their arses and doing their thing. Flying is the first strategy within a play. It can make or break whether a quaffle flies through the ring or the Seeker catches the Snitch. If you can manage your fears and get out of your head, you can fly just as well as any Quidditch player. The difference between a good flyer and a weak one is magic. You need to have confidence in your magic and remember to channel it through your flying.” 

Hermione was superior at channeling her magic. That was what she was known for. That she couldn’t figure out how to effectively channel through a broom felt embarrassing. She didn’t want to admit there was wisdom in what Draco was saying, but she resolved to adhere to his feedback and focus on her confidence and getting herself out of her head. 

She stood from the ground with her broom. “Alright. What’s next?” 

\-----

He’d given her a few more drills that kept her low to the ground to continue to help her practice her speed and agility on the broom. After a while they sat down to take a break. Draco gave her some additional feedback on her form and advice to think about when they started up again. That progressed into casual conversation.

“So Snape would recognize monthly Slytherin achievements? Like awards?” 

“He would--He’d call them ‘The Snape Spotlights.’ It was the most obscure experience. I mean, you know, Snape. It was incredibly odd to come from someone with his personality but he NEVER missed it. It would be for normal, recurring things: most points for the month, attendance, quidditch or dueling accomplishments.”

“I can’t even imagine it.” 

“Oh, it’s better. The rewards were from his potions closet. Tell me what I’m supposed to do with four jars of frog brain? On top of that he’d conjure these recognition certificates on parchment.”

Hermione wiped tears from her eyes from the thought of it all. Draco turned out to be quite funny and a great storyteller. She was curious about him--what had made him seek out others this year. 

“So, you said that your friends didn’t return this year--was there a reason?”

“Probably self-preservation, mostly. For most of them, their last memory to end the school year was a war followed by being locked in their own dungeons.”

“So, you were so desperate for friends, you decided to start hanging around Hufflepuffs, huh?”

Draco shook his head. “You’re oddly self-deprecating towards your own house, you know.” 

Hermione was a bit embarrassed by his statement. It really wasn’t like her to use house stereotypes. She almost appreciated him calling her out for it. 

“So why aren’t you playing Seeker this year for your house team?” 

“I’m not good for Slytherin’s image. The house is trying to reform themselves this year--separate from their associations with You-Know-Who and the second war. A former death eater on their team doesn’t exactly match with that.” 

“But that’s not fair! If anything, it's even more reason to allow you to keep your position. You were exonerated--you’re an example of change!”

“Thanks for the kind words but even you were skeptical of me when we first met.”

He wasn’t wrong, but then again, he’d done nothing but prove her wrong since they ran into each other that day. 

“It is what it is, though,” Draco proceeded to stand and stretch. “I’ve accepted it and honestly don’t blame them. Besides, I still get to play for the intramural team. I’ve got my eyes set on winning the penniless intramural cup for Slytherin. Come on...let’s have you do one more exercise before we call it a day.” He extended his hand towards her to help her stand. 

This time, she took it. 

\-----

Now that she and Draco had started meeting to help her learn more about Quidditch, she didn’t feel that she could keep up with both their practice sessions and the lessons that Ginny was attempting to give her. She’d placed a silencing charm around her and Ginny as they had sat down for what was planned to be another lesson. Hermione had attempted to be vague at first on just who had replaced her but she soon found herself telling Ginny everything about her run-ins with Draco, her empty disguise now known as Robbie Fenwick--the one detail she withheld was the fact that he was actually making her play Quidditch. She didn’t feel ready to share that detail about his teaching methods with Ginny just yet. 

“You’re saying Draco Malfoy has been teaching you about Quidditch, so you don’t want my help any longer?”

Ginny’s question was relayed rather emotionless--Hermione was unsure if it was an actual question or a rhetorical statement. Hermione opened and closed her mouth a few times in an attempt to answer before Ginny continued. 

“First, I’m a bit put off that you prefer to learn about the subject from a boy who has done nothing but bully you for the past seven years but second, how did this arrangement with Malfoy even come about?!” 

“Gin--everyone has different learning styles…It’s also become a bit more complicated than just who is teaching me about the sport.” 

Ginny raised her brow with intrigue. “Say more.” 

“He’s just been so unlike Malfoy--he’s a shadow of the bully we once knew. Nothing but kind, helpful, genuinely interested in building friendships. He’s lonely.” 

Ginny eyed her skeptically. “Are you saying it is what...pity?” 

“At first, I did feel sorry for him. But the more we’ve gotten to know each other and built a friendship, the less I think of it as pity. I like him. I mean--not like, like him, but I enjoy spending time with him. I mean--I don’t know--I’m _intrigued_ by him.” 

As Hermione rambled on, Ginny developed a sly smile on her face. 

“I think you like him--or are intrigued by him--whatever you want to call it. I mean, if he’s really changed as you say he has, there’s nothing wrong with giving someone a second chance. Though I would advise to be careful. He thinks he is building a friendship with Robbie, not Hermione. If your _intrigue_ grows that’s going to put you in a hard position.” 

Ginny was right. She needed to be careful with her feelings. All of this was supposed to be about Quidditch. 

“He’s also easy on the eyes. I wouldn’t blame you if that alone was your reason for ditching me.” 

“Ginny!” Hermione grabbed a pillow from the bed and lightly hit her. She couldn’t help but blush profusely. As they both silently mused over her comment they broke into a fit of giggles. 

“Come off it, you know it is true.” 

“I can objectively agree that Draco is attractive.” 

“So diplomatic.” Ginny paused. “So it’s Draco, now?”

“Oh, stop. I have real studying to do.” And with that, Hermione moved over to her own bed to pick up her school work. She couldn’t focus after their conversation but she carried on pretending she was studying for the next hour. 

\-----

“Will you roll already, Fenwick?!” 

Hermione was on her broom hovering only about six feet off of the ground. Draco had forced her out of her comfort zone after a few practices. She’d been hovering there for a good ten minutes, unable to gather the nerve to just roll over. 

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake--GO!”

Hermione tightened her grip, closed her eyes and went for it. She gripped the broom right up against her and she felt gravity push against her on her way down. When she was on the upswing, she had to readjust and steady herself as in her momentum she almost fell into another roll. As she recovered and dismounted, it hit her that she’d done it. he was beaming as she looked over at Draco for acknowledgement. 

“Okay, good. That’s progress. Now next time you need to do it while still keeping formation. There’s no way you’ll be able to roll and hold a Quaffle at the same time if you’re holding onto your broom for dear life.”

“Why would I need to hold a Quaffle?”

“Because we’re going to actually start learning Quidditch today--why do you think I brought my trunk?” 

“Already? Draco--I don’t know…” 

“Nonsense. It’s amazing how your lack of confidence continues. You’ve vastly improved on the broom. It’s time you learned how to play. So, we’re going to figure out your position today.”

“But I’ll be terrible.” 

“You’re fine, when we started, you could barely tell the difference between a snitch and a Quaffle and now look at you.” 

Hermione shook her head. “That’s pure hyperbole!” 

“My point...is that you can do it. Come on, it's not like you’re going for the house team. I’m just looking to get you into one intramural game before the year is over.”

“What are you talking about? I never agreed to that!” 

“Don’t be a pansy. This has to amount to something more than being able to tell what you’re watching. One Quidditch match. Besides, if you show up as a walk-on they might not even play you anyway.”

Considering the amount of confidence Draco was extending her, she was half tempted to accept the challenge. At the same time, it was unrealistic. Robbie wasn’t real--even if she accepted it, she’d never have the opportunity to follow through with it. She felt a string of guilt as she accepted it, given everything Draco had invested in her. 

“Deal--one intramural game.” 

He smirked at her response. “Good, glad you see things my way, mate. Now, Quidditch.” 

Draco opened his trunk. “There’s the Keeper--” Draco tossed the Quaffle straight at her. 

“Draco, I know what the positions are...” Hermione did not feel that she needed more of the basics, though she nearly dropped the Quaffle when he tossed it at her -- embarrassing. 

“ _Keepers_ can tell a good shot from a worthless shot. They are good under pressure and can handle the most intense criticism. Unlike the Weasel King, or even McLaggen, Keepers sacrifice their own glory for the benefit of the team.” 

Draco placed a glove on his hand and then released the snitch between them. It must have been new. 

“Go for it.” He prodded her as the snitch flew straight in front of her. She let the Quaffle drop beside her so she could better reach for the Snitch. She missed but it continued to zoom back and forth in front of her, just within her reach. 

“Seekers also do well under pressure. They love the spotlight, have keen instincts and obviously, pay attention to the smallest of details.” 

As Draco was talking, Hermione continued to try and reach out for the snitch but it was too quick, it kept dodging her reach, taunting her with every attempt. As if it were nothing, Draco snatched it as she was in the middle of another attempt. 

He placed it back into the trunk, picked up the Quaffle she had placed on the ground, and handed it back to her. 

“Chasers are the most dedicated team players. They like to deduce the solutions to challenges quickly. They don’t give up easily. So, which one do you want to try?” 

“Are you not going to give me the lecture on Beaters?” 

“No, I don’t intend to take out a bludger for dramatic effect and I already know there’s no way you’re Beater material.” 

“Hey!” 

“A scrawny bloke like you? Do you really disagree?” 

Hermione paused, knowing he was right...except for the bloke part. She wouldn’t have wanted to be one anyway. 

“Beaters go with the flow and live off of the unpredictability. You, Fenwick, want order and strategy. So, what’ll it be?” 

Hermione knew he was right--no beater. She was not one to take a back seat to the action--Keeper and Seeker didn’t feel right.

“Chaser. I’ll try Chaser.” 

Draco smirked at her. 

“Chaser. Just what I thought.” Draco turned and cast a spell into the air. “ _Flagrate rotam._ ”

Hermione observed as Draco’s spell produced a path of golden rings around the quidditch pitch--wide enough for her to fly through. 

“Did you just create enchanted rings?” 

Draco smiled and laughed. Not only did Draco continue to impress her, but she was struggling to resist her attraction to him. His smile was engaging and it made her heart leap every time she saw it. 

“You sound surprised. I’ll have you know that besides Granger, my marks have always been highest in the class.” 

Draco again referenced her. If he brought it up again, she’d have to make a point to see if he’d engage further about her when the time was right. Maybe she could gain insight in how he felt about her... after the war and all. 

“Alright. Here’s the Quaffle. The goal of this exercise is both speed and precision. Do not hit the edge of the rings. You’ll feel a slight burn if you do.” 

“Sounds very Milgram.”

“What was that?”

“Never mind! I’ve got it!” Hermione edged slowly through the first few, trying to center herself just right to avoid being stung by the ring. 

“Come on, Fenwick, you’re going at a snail's pace. I know you can do better than that.” 

Hermione turned back to glare at Draco before realizing it was causing her to veer off course. She self-corrected just in time to avoid the edge. She refocused and started to pick up speed. As much as she hated to admit it, she responded to Draco’s goading like an impulse. 

Hermione was able to get the hang of it, but not without escaping a few stings from the rings as she had really picked up speed. Draco eventually enlarged the rings to include enough space for both of them. He flew towards her and had her attempt to pass the Quaffle between them. It was apparent the rings were too advanced. Whenever Hermione would fumble a pass, Draco would get pushed against the ring and sting himself. He vanished the rings and they reset to practice without them. 

Hermione readied herself on her broom. “Let’s go again.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4

“Keeping your hand on the Quaffle as it goes through the hoop?” 

“Haversacking!”

Draco was quizzing Hermione, as Robbie, as they walked towards their practice field. They both had their brooms in one arm and carried his Quidditch trunk between the two of them. 

“Flying with the intent to collide with another player?”

“Blatching.” 

“Touching opponents too much with your elbow?”

“Cobbing.” 

“Sandwiching the Keeper?”

“An example of Stooging...the foul is more than one Chaser in the scoring area.”

“Good. O for Outstanding. ” They set the trunk down the trunk on the field. 

After a few practices, Draco had shocked her when he showed up with his old Nimbus 2001 for her to practice with. “Had to make sure you could handle it. You need a true racing broom if you want to learn Quidditch effectively.” 

"So, the other day at practice I noticed that the Keeper was actually placing himself away from goal hoops as if he wasn’t even blocking them. What was even odder is that the Chaser was making goal attempts as the Keeper moved away. 

"Did you see a Beater around?"

"I don't know--I guess I didn't get a good look at that."

“Next time, if they run that play again, watch for where the Beater is located and what they are doing. It’s usually insane, but if you can pull it off it's wicked. A Keeper will move out of the way of a goal attempt as a beater from their location will attempt to knock the Quaffle off its path with a bludger. Hence why the Keeper is attempting to get out of the way. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were practicing the timing and form with a simulation. It would be a nasty process to practice that technique multiple times without all the players engaged for real. There would be a high chance the Keeper or Chaser might end up in the hospital wing.” 

Draco and Hermione ran through some warm ups before he had her practice diving. He had started to complete some of the exercises along with her to help her get the feel for what flying in a formation would be like. She’d been receptive to the progressive techniques Draco had given her. However, she drew a hard line when Draco suggested she attempt broom surfing. 

Draco levitated the Quaffle between the two of them. They were each starting a significant distance away from it. He explained the goal of the exercise was to get the Quaffle first. In his opinion, the first team to take possession of it at the beginning of a match was pivotal. Whoever gets the Quaffle first needs to attempt a goal. Once a goal is made, they’ll reset from the beginning. 

Draco, of course, got the Quaffle on the first two runs. 

“Remember basic formation.” Draco was shouting over to her as they readied their next run. “Don’t forget, it's your magic that controls the broom. Be confident and leverage it.” 

“Got it.” 

Hermione readjusted her grip and once Draco gave the signal, she went full speed towards the Quaffle. But something caught the corner of her eye. She saw a figure approaching their practice. 

Ginny. 

Upon realization of her friend's surprise appearance she completely forgot she was in the middle of a drill. 

"Fenwick! Look out!"

Hermione looked back and pulled left just barely avoiding a direct collision with Draco. She went straight for the ground. She looked behind her and saw Draco, across the field, lowering his broom to the ground as well. 

“YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?!” She turned back, remembering Ginny who was now dashing towards her. 

“Look at you! You're flying! You’re playing Quidditch!”

Draco was almost back from across the field. 

At least Hermione could gauge from Ginny’s tone that she wasn't angry at her, merely shocked. At the rate she was talking, Hermione worried Ginny was going to blow her cover and their entire plan would unravel. 

“And that was a Chaser’s exercise. Not only did you dump me for lessons with Malfoy but you’re learning my position from him! I mean, you've got to be shitting me! You didn't tell me any of this!”

“Ginny, shhh. Draco is right there.” And with that, Draco was standing beside them. Still shaken, he confusedly tried to make sense of Ginny’s peculiar behavior towards Robbie. 

“You two are friends then?”

Hermione jumped right into damage control. “Yes, yes, Ginny and I are friends. See, I had originally asked her to help me learn about Quidditch. Too embarrassed to ask my housemates, you know. I wasn’t really catching on though and then you stepped in to help. Ginny’s just a bit surprised because I obviously didn’t tell her how I’ve been progressing. Right, Ginny?” 

“You were getting lessons from the captain of the Gryffindor team? Curious how that came about. Did you show her the notes that you were showing me?” 

“No--no, not at all! That would be rather stupid of me.” Hermione was struggling. 

“Oh, love.” Ginny suddenly slipped her hand through Hermione’s. She looked at Ginny as she did this. The look of confusion on Hermione’s face now mirrored Draco’s. 

“If you trust Malfoy, we can tell him.” Ginny then slid closer and grabbed Hermione’s arm.

Ginny addressed Draco, “We’re dating.” 

Draco pointed his finger back and forth between her and Ginny. “You and Robbie?”

“Yes! See, it’s a secret...for exactly the reason you just pointed out. Think of the scandal if people found out.” 

“I thought you were dating Potter?”

She could feel Ginny tense against her arm. “It--it's a secret for that reason, too…” 

Hermione was reeling to keep up with all the lies falling from Ginny's mouth. “Harry and I broke up but we both really appreciate our privacy. We thought it best to wait to make that news public--the press would be insufferable!” 

Draco eyed both of them curiously. "Uh huh. Well, then I guess congrats, mate. Red, Fenwick and I haven't been friends long but I'd say you upgraded."

Hermione felt Ginny's grip tighten at Draco's last comment. She attempted to move along Ginny’s exit. "Well, Ginny really should be going, she's got her own practicing to do I'm sure."

Draco cut in. "Rubbish. She should join us. The stadium is right over there. Accio your broom from the locker room."

Ginny looked at Hermione with a big smile on her face, which she did not return. "Absolutely!"

\-----

"I can't believe you did that, Ginny!"

"What? You're not the only person who can live a secret life. I actually found it rather fun."

"I feel like every day I'm digging myself into a deeper hole with him "

"Then we’ll need to create a smooth transition from Robbie to Hermione.” Hermione was doubtful it could possibly be that simple. “It's brilliant that he not only got you on a broom but has you playing Quidditch! I'm forever indebted to him. I can’t even believe I’m the one saying that! Don’t worry, Hermione, once we get through the match with Hufflepuff we’ll figure it out. You _have_ to keep him.” 

Hermione and Ginny arrived at the common room where Hermione was due to update to the team on her findings. She felt nervous. Up until this point, she had only reported back to Ginny and not the entire team. 

Dean began with a question about their Seeker. 

“They do a lot of fake Wronski Feint runs. Most Seekers do that at some point, so I’m not sure yet how it will impact their performance during matches. I’ll have to observe their seeker a bit more..” 

Cormac, who honestly appeared less than engaged, asked about Hufflepuff’s Keeper.

“Their main Keeper has actually been progressing in the Starfish and Stick move.”

Cormac was immediately at attention. The Starfish and Stick move was never to be attempted by the Keeper during play. “You’re shitting me.” 

“Of course I am. Pay attention.” 

The team broke out in laughter. Dean started rubbing Cormac for letting Hermione pull one over on him.

Ritchie piped in: “What have you seen from their Beaters?” 

“They've been practicing the Dopplebeater Defense each time that I’ve seen them.”

Ritchie and Jimmy looked at each other. “That’s a hard defense to coordinate multiple times in a match. Have you seen them use it in multiple plays?” 

“Yes, they’ve used it with a few different plays. Though, I’ve also seen them use it in the event the Seeker has found the Snitch. They’ve been working on using it to throw off the opposing team’s Seeker.” 

“What are the most common formations they run?” asked Katie. 

“They are commonly running Hawkshead Attacking Formation but they have made a modification to it. They do some pretty intricate Quaffle work when they are running that play. Otherwise, I would say I most commonly see them applying reserve passes and the Woollongong Shimmy.” 

They continued on with their questions and Hermione did her best to answer. Some of their more technical questions still made her feel somewhat inadequate, but Ginny helped her field anything that she didn’t have an answer for. 

“Alright, team. I think that’s all we’ll bother Hermione with this evening. I’ll look at revising our current practice plan to incorporate what Hermione’s been able to find out for us.” 

Everyone dispersed for the evening and extended their thanks to her. A few people commented on her progress in understanding the sport. 

\-----

The Quidditch season officially arrived on a rainy day in the first week of November. Ginny felt confident in their performance against Slytherin. Despite the rain, there was still a good showing of spectators. Hermione was pleasantly surprised by how different the experience felt after having practiced the sport. She could recognize Demelza initiating a Woollongong Shimmy as Slytherin had possession of the Quaffle. The movement caused their Chaser to drop the Quaffle and Ginny swooped in to grab it and carry it back towards their goalposts. Cormac, despite sabotaging his last try at being the team's main Keeper, was honestly doing quite well. Though with the volume of drills that Ginny put the team through, it was no surprise he’d improved.

Hermione could recognize and name fouls when she saw them. Previously, she hadn't been able to tell clearly when fouls were made. She took some pride whenever she realized she was howling alongside others who recognized it versus those who had delayed reaction because they hadn't seen it. She could debate back and forth with Neville about the details of was it or wasn’t it. 

They came away from the match with a significant victory under their belt. Given the uncertainty of Hufflepuff’s performance in a few weeks against Ravenclaw, Ginny felt they at least had a strong point lead as they looked ahead to their matches next year...Hufflepuff being their next challenge. 

\-----

“What did you think of the match this past weekend?”

Hermione, as Robbie, and Draco were in the midst of a break from their practice routine when the match came up. 

“Were you there?” Hermione asked, surprised. 

“Of course--why wouldn’t I have been?”

“Honestly, I thought since you weren’t able to play on the team this year that perhaps you’d decided not to watch.” 

“No, I went. I wouldn’t be a very good housemate if I didn’t show up to support the team. They were dreadful though. I knew Red was good but I think I underestimated her ability to coach the whole team. Did you notice a difference this time when you watched?”

“Absolutely. I may not have been really interested before, but I was still able to enjoy it because either my friends were playing or the environment was fun--like the World Cup or something. It’s amazing the difference in the experience. I thought Dean did a great job playing Seeker. Although, if your team had a different Seeker, it might have drastically changed the outcome. How did they choose Caron to replace you?”

Draco smirked. “His father made a rather generous donation to the Quidditch program.”

Hermione choked on the water she had been swallowing. 

“I’ll take your reaction as confirmation that the rumors of my start onto the team made it around the school.” 

“Sorry. At least you can find the humor in it.” Hermione paused. “I think you proved everyone wrong though, if that helps.” 

“I mean, if we’re being honest, it's true. They booted Higgs because of my father’s broom donation. Nothing like that would ever work for me now.” 

“Hey--you called me out for being self-deprecating about my house. How about you and your family? It’s obvious you’re trying to move forward.”

“My father went to Azkaban. It was all over the Prophet. We’re not the same family we once were. Eventually our -- or perhaps my father’s -- poor choices, caught up to us. You say self-deprecating, but I think I’m being realistic. That doesn’t mean I don’t recognize what I’m trying to do to change mine or my family’s reputation.” 

“Do you talk with your father?”

Draco nodded. “I write to him. It sounds like Azkaban is a far better place when it's not being guarded by dementors. If he lays low and keeps up good behavior he’ll be eligible for release by the holiday. It was tough for my mother last time, when he was imprisoned and I was off at school. I hope it works out so she’s not alone.” Draco cleared his throat. “Anyway, enough about me. What’s this about you stealing Harry Potter’s girlfriend?”

Hermione laughed nervously. She should have known she’d be confronted about this topic at some point. “Umm...hardly, there was no stealing involved,” Hermione eventually replied uncomfortably. 

“I’m a bit put out that you didn’t tell me. I’ll give your flimsy excuses some credit for the secrecy but I thought you might have told me. Be honest though, you're doing all of this for her, aren’t you?? I really don’t care if you are.” 

Hermione looked at Draco while she contemplated her answer. Her silence gave away the answer. Ginny was going to kill her for telling him. “I am helping her...them. It’s why I’ve been watching practices and why I needed to learn the sport.” 

“You’re a terrible Hufflepuff.” This time her laughter was genuine--that was completely true. She could tell Draco was trying to jokingly guilt her. 

“I won’t argue with that. I have to say, though, that while all of this started that way, I can’t say it’s the full reason why I’m still doing it. It’s become more for me. I thought I was decent at most things except for Quidditch. All of this seems to have shown me I can do this."

“Good. You’ve been doing well and I really think you’re going to keep getting better. I don’t judge you for helping out your girlfriend, even if she is a Gryffindor." 

Hermione gave him a look. 

“Don’t look at me like hell just froze over--even though it probably did.” Draco smiled. “You can trust me, Fenwick.” 

Blame it on her developing affection for him or how she’d grown to know him, but she believed it when he said she could trust him. 

\-----

A few weeks later, the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw match arrived. Ginny was a fit of nerves waiting to see what their performance would look like. To say the stadium was packed would be an understatement--the crowd was overflowing. The Hogwarts rumor mill was obviously alive and well as people who normally wouldn't have set foot at a match were there to see if the rumors were true. 

Hufflepuff snagged the Quaffle first. Their Chaser's movements were smooth and efficient. It was a beautiful sight to see. They handed Ravenclaw their arses. Dumping their team and starting over was obviously the game-changer that they needed. 

That evening, Ginny was pacing back and forth in the common room where the team had assembled to debrief.

“What are we going to do?” Katie questioned. She, like others, was stressed out after watching the match.

Ginny tried to be reassuring, “We have until March, we just need to adapt to what we saw today.” 

“Don't forget they've now seen every team play. They'll probably be adapting their practices as well,” Cormac said.

Ginny replied, “Don't be so pessimistic. We can only do what is in our control. We know we need to focus more on: increasing our possession of the bludgers, developing our slow-balling attacks, and defending the midline.” 

Hermione piped up, "Don't forget they play low so you should also work on your hoop defense against low shots--that would be a smarter tactic than focusing on defending the midline. It’s really quite brilliant of them, perfecting the low game, when everyone expects attempts to play high since there is no limit.”

She could see Cormac had taken some offense at her statement while all the others were staring at her in shock. 

“Oi, Granger, how about you worry your head on that homework assignment in front of you and leave the real Quidditch talk to those who have actually played.” 

“Cormac shut it...She's right. That is another area we need to focus on. We still have time before the break to keep up some momentum with practices. If we can get through Hufflepuff once the season resumes, the cup should be good as ours. I’m confident of it.” With that, Ginny ended the meeting.

\------

The close of the first two matches that November meant winter was approaching, and it turned out Draco was not a fan of having to practice Quidditch when the weather got cold. Draco and Robbie agreed that they pause practice and get back outside once they returned from break and the weather warmed up. Draco was insistent she begin and stick with a stricter diet and workout regimen so that when they returned outside, they could pick up where they left off.

Hermione didn’t immediately register the fact that communication with Draco would be abruptly cut off. She knew that she should still see him around, but, after a few weeks passed, she realized that Robbie didn’t have an excuse to run into Draco without Quidditch. She missed him. Hermione found her eyes drifting over to the Slytherin table at times during meals or in class. In her distraction, she would catch herself making small but silly mistakes when they had Charms together. She wished she’d thought to set a time for them to spend time together during their practice break. That being said, she had no idea what was going through Draco’s head if he had tried to find Robbie. Break was only a few days away and she decided that she’d make an attempt to track down Draco, as Robbie, to try and arrange a time for them to meet up after the break. 

It was the last Monday of classes, and Ginny and Hermione were walking towards the next class after Potions. They were stopped by someone yelling after them. 

“Hey, Red. Hold up a second.” 

Hermione and Ginny looked at each other with alarm. They turned to see Draco approaching. 

“Malfoy, what’s happening?”

“I was wonder--

“Hi Draco!” Hermione’s abrupt greeting startled all three of them. Hermione felt Ginny elbow her. She was instantly embarrassed by her outburst and mentally chastised herself for awkwardly inserting her own greeting. It’d been so long since she’d last had contact with him. 

“Hey, Granger. Umm...Red…You just had Potions with Hufflepuff, right? 

“Yes, that’s what class we just came from.” 

“Did you see Fenwick? I didn't see him leave after class.” 

“Oh.” Hermione could tell Ginny’s wheels were spinning to come up with a valid reason for Robbie being absent. Hermione wished she was a Legilimens so she could insert an idea into her head. _He left early. He was sick. He was--._

“He’s not taking Potions this year. Didn’t do well enough on his OWLs. He opted to take a muggle studies course.” Ginny’s voice grew more confident as she landed on an excuse. 

“I see.” Draco didn’t seem to give Ginny’s answer a second thought. “He’s a difficult one to track down--I never even see him at meals.” 

“He's particular about what he eats--a snob really, always pestering the elves in the kitchen for custom meals.” Hermione wondered if Ginny was still enjoying the amount that she was having to cover parts of their ruse or if she was still enjoying it. 

“Anyway, could you tell him I'm looking for him if you see him? I had some Quidditch articles I thought he might be interested in reading over the break.” 

Ginny started, “Sure thing--”

Hermione stepped in. “He usually spends Monday evenings in the library. Right, Ginny? He should be there this evening.” She had been planning to track him down, but here he was in front of her trying to connect--she didn’t want to pass up the opportunity. “I’m sure if you stop by then you’ll be able to catch him.” 

“Great. I’ll plan to do that. Thanks.” Draco nodded towards Ginny and was about to leave when he turned back and looked towards Hermione. “See you, Granger.” 

\-----

Hermione, as Robbie, arrived in the library that evening to get settled. She was excited to be able to talk with Draco. She had tried not to dwell so much on their run in earlier. Draco was trying to seek her--or Robbie--out. She had to remind herself, though, that Draco was missing a friend. He wasn’t missing her like she was missing him: full of messy emotions that made her stomach knot. But she would take what she could until the time for outside practices resumed. 

Draco arrived not long after she did. 

"You're a hard one to track down. I all but showed up outside of the Hufflepuff dormitories. Did Ginny give you a heads-up I was trying to find you?"

"Yes, she did. Sorry, I can be rather elusive outside of planned activities." 

"How have the last few weeks gone for you?" 

"Good. I've mainly just buckled down on homework due before the break. I've kept up with the exercises you gave me. You?"

"Same. I've been working on schoolwork for the end of term. My mother keeps writing me reminders that I need to stop by Madame Malkins for a fitting on a set of robes for her Christmas party. I wanted to catch you before break though. Do you read Quidditch Weekly? They had a few articles I thought you might be interested in. I've brought them with me. Don't worry about returning them if you find them helpful.”

He slid the magazines over to her. 

“Thanks--I appreciate it.” She mindlessly started paging through one of them. “Are you looking forward to the break?” 

“Yes, I think so. My father wrote to me just after his release was granted. He will obviously still be on house arrest but I'm looking forward to seeing him. He was a shadow of the man he used to be the first time he was in Azkaban. I'm not sure what to expect, but his letters reflect that he's doing well.” 

“Do you think he still holds the same prejudices?”

“He probably will carry some part of it for the rest of his life. I think it would be hard not to but being so close to the Dark Lord the second time around, my parents really started losing their passion for the cause. I think by the end, they were driven by fear rather than their beliefs.”

She nodded and continued to page through the magazine, not actually registering the content. 

On the topic of their prejudices, she couldn’t help but wonder what his family might think about her. It would be an abrupt transition, but she suddenly remembered wanting to ask him about the multiple references he’d made about her since they had started hanging out. 

“This is random, but I couldn’t help notice that the last few times we’ve met in the library, you’ve made some reference to this being Hermione Granger’s study spot. Have you noticed you do that?” 

Draco’s demeanor completely changed. She could have sworn a slight red tint had developed on his face. 

“I mean, everyone knows this is her spot. She was the one who actually told me that you’d be studying here this evening. Do you two have some sort of timetable arrangement for the space?”

“I-It’s--well, it’s a great spot for studying. But that doesn’t explain why you’ve brought her up on several occasions. 

She did not see herself as one who would resort to manipulating others but what came from her mouth next was a questionable if not terrible move she might later regret. 

“Come on, Draco. You and I are friends--you can tell me if there’s some reason.” 

She observed him fidget with his hands as a few moments passed.

“I’ve honestly been trying to avoid her this year. You know I’ve been trying to change my reputation. Of course, change comes with the blatant realization that you’ve treated a lot of people terribly over the years. Thankfully, a lot of them chose not to come back, some I have been able to avoid, and then, in a category of her own, there’s Granger. I purposely sought her out with evil intent for years.” 

Hermione had wanted to know the answer, but she never imagined this. She was reliving the memories, too. It was becoming more challenging than ever to maintain her mask, so she remained silent.

“There’s more but I’m not going to go further into it. I carry tremendous guilt and yet I also feel like I’ve finally grown to recognize and appreciate the amazing talents she as a witch.” 

She felt like she was experiencing an apology from him even though he wasn’t actually extending one. She’d grown fond of him but it was complicated not only by the fact that he didn’t know Robbie was her, but by the fact that they had so much tangled, painful history. She knew they’d need to confront this reality if she ever befriended him as Hermione. 

“You should talk to her.” 

Draco, who had become lost in thought, was now alert again. 

“I know I should, but I don’t know...” 

“If that’s really the way that you feel, then I think you at least owe her a conversation.” Hermione wasn’t sure how to contemplate the words coming out of her own mouth. She wasn’t expecting, at this moment in time, to be confronted with their complex history. It was forcing her to confront the challenge it posed to this other Draco she’d come to know this year. “Maybe, she’ll consider forgiving you.” 

Draco laughed softly. “You’re encouraging me to walk into the line of fire that is Hermione Granger. I’ll be lucky if I walk away unscathed.” A few beats passed. “I suppose you’re right though. Let’s face it, it’ll be nothing compared to how I’ve treated her over the years, right?” 

Hermione could tell that he didn’t actually expect a response and she was hesitant to press the conversation further when Draco had no idea he was talking to her and not confiding in his friend. 

Hermione tried to guide the conversation back to casual repartee and they spent the next few hours alternating between quidditch talk and casual conversation. As the conversation turned, she started to remember how she had missed this. She genuinely hoped that he’d listen to her and that they might get to talk to one another soon as Draco and Hermione. 

\-----

“I want to get Draco a Christmas gift.” Hermione had placed a silencing charm around the curtains she’s drawn around Ginny’s bed. 

“As Hermione or as Robbie?” 

“Robbie, of course.” 

“Are you sure this is good for you? I can tell you’re beginning to fancy him, but you came back pretty unsettled from your conversation with him in the library the other day.” 

She felt like she had been riding a roller coaster . She was initially put out when Draco hadn’t approached her immediately after their conversation. Given how close they were to end of term, she supposed her hopes had been too high. It had more recently sunk in that she wouldn’t have an opportunity to even talk with him, as herself or as Robbie. 

“Hermione,” Ginny continued, “I can admit, Draco does seem to be trying to be a decent bloke this year and if you have a crush, I’ll be giddy with you all you want. But given all your history, have you really thought this through?” 

Hermione put her hands in her face. As the one who was always logical, she absolutely abhorred when others were logical and she was not. 

“I was perturbed the other day. It really hit me during that conversation that the Draco Malfoy I have been getting to know this year is the same one that has treated me as less than human in the past -- and aligned himself with Voldemort, for Merlin’s sake. I think I can be serious about who he is trying to be now, assuming that chance ever even presents itself. I find myself missing him when I’m not around him.” 

“What do you like about him… what’s changed?”

“You know people have always assumed I’m good at everything? He doesn’t know I’m Hermione Granger but he’s shown confidence in me all the same...in an area that I’ve been dreadful at. Something about that is refreshing. I now see his intelligence without the barrier of his ego and his sense of humor without cruelty attached to it.”

Ginny hummed in affirmation. 

“It’s hard to really say though, because right now, he only knows me as Robbie.” Hermione let out a heavy sigh.

Ginny smirked at her. “But you realize you’re definitely giving him a gift as the girl who fancies him and not as his purely platonic friend, Robbie, right?” 

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I don’t care. I still want to do it.” 

“Alright--what were you thinking?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea. What do you think boys give each other for holidays?” 

“Socks?”

“OH! What if I wrote Viktor and asked him to sign something for him? Everyone is a fan of Viktor.” 

“Hermione, trust me. If at any point you get the courage to come clean and try something with Draco, the LAST thing he would want is a gift from your famous ex-fling.” 

“Duly noted. What do your brothers usually get for Christmas?”

“A jumper from mum, obviously.” Ginny and Hermione chuckled over the thought of Mrs. Weasley’s annual knitted sweaters. Then, suddenly, Hermione had an idea.

“I’ve got it! Not intimate, just friendly.” Hermione jumped off her bed to find her parchment and quill and start a letter to her mum. 

“What is it?” 

“Uh, I don’t think you’d understand--It’s a muggle thing.” She was quickly scratching a note to send her request home. She’d mail it first thing in the morning. 

\-----

“Draco, hold up!” Hermione, as Robbie, ran towards Draco as he was rolling his trunk down the hall.

“Hey--not going home for the holiday?” He asked, as she stopped in front of him. 

“I will be--I just won’t be taking the train back. I had something to give you before you left. Happy Christmas.” Hermione shoved the box at Draco’s chest before he had a chance to react. 

“Thanks…I feel terrible I didn’t get you anything.” She refused to be disappointed. She reminded herself she didn’t want Draco to give Robbie a gift, she wanted Draco to give _Hermione_ a gift. And that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. 

“I wasn’t expecting anything. You should open it. I anticipate I’ll need to explain it to you.”

Draco steadied his trunk beside him and started to unwrap the sole ribbon she had used on the box. She watched as Draco pulled out a baby blue knit jumper. A niffler wrapped in holiday lights and wearing a Santa hat graced the front of it. 

She could tell he was beside himself as he took it in. 

“Uh--you shouldn’t have.” 

Hermione chuckled.

“It’s a muggle tradition. At Christmas, muggles wear ugly jumpers to holiday parties. I had my mo--father send me one and I altered the original animal into a niffler. You said your mother throws a holiday party every year, right?” 

It was Draco’s turn to laugh. “Yes, but somehow I don’t think she’d ever let me get away with wearing anything other than dress robes. Draco chuckled again, “You have some odd tendencies, Fenwick.” 

Hermione knew he meant it as a quip. 

“Thank you, though. I appreciate the thought and the jest. Happy Christmas, Robbie. See you when you get back.” 

She watched as Draco continued toward the corridor. She couldn’t wait to return after break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! The next chapter may be delayed due to editing.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione was elated--she’d been able to find an empty compartment on the train ride back to Hogwarts. As much as she loved socializing with her friends, she could not pass up the brief opportunity to have a compartment to herself. She had been settled in for the last few hours reading without distraction.

She was reaching a climatic point in her book, when she heard the sound of the compartment door click and slide open. 

She looked up to see Draco standing in the doorway. At that moment she could no longer tell if the pounding in her chest was from the passage she’d just broken away from or a result of his surprising appearance before her. 

“Granger.” He nodded in greeting--his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“Can I...talk to you for a moment?” He asked her apprehensively. 

Hermione was struggling to form words. A few weeks ago she had encouraged him to talk with her but she didn’t seem prepared for the actual moment. After a few beats of nothing surfacing from her mouth, she straightened up in her seat and nodded her consent. She gestured for him to have a seat across from her. 

“How was your holiday?” 

She felt an immediate difference in the experience talking with Draco as herself and not Robbie. In all the years she’d known Draco, he was never one for small talk--prideful gloating--but not small talk.

“FineIt was good. I spent some time with my parents and then I visited the Weasleys home. I usually spend some time during the holiday with them. Harry and Ron got a short break from their Auror training to join us.”

“Did Ginny invite Fenwick there?”

Hermione grew wide-eyed at his question but Draco must have mistook her reaction .

“Oh--shit. You didn’t know. Forget I said anything.”

“No-no, I know! Ginny and Robbie. Sorry, I was caught off by your question. No, Robbie wasn’t there.” 

Draco sighed in relief. “Good--they said it was a secret so I figured at least you would know. I suppose if Potter was there she wouldn’t have brought him around.” 

Hermione looked towards him expectantly hoping it would prompt him to share his motivation for coming to see her. 

Draco cleared his throat. “I don’t want to take up much of your time.” 

She noted his hands were tightly gripping the cushion beneath him as he was preparing to speak. “I know this might be somewhat out of the blue. I know we haven’t seen each other much this year. I--I wanted to say that I’m sorry.” 

Hermione reacted with a sharp inhale--there was the awaited apology. She’d been reflecting over the break on how she might respond when this moment came. Weighing if she had really consolidated everything that had occurred in their past up until this point with the Draco he was evolving into. Thankfully, he wasn’t finished by simply stating that he was apologetic.

“I know that I was a git towards you and your friends for the last several years. I wanted to apologize for the way that I treated you and Potter.” She raised a brow towards him. She could see the effort it took him to suppress an eye roll, “and Weasley…” She herself suppressed a laugh so as to not take away from the seriousness of the moment. “..., the-- _names_ \-- that I called you, and for what my aunt did to you last year and that I did nothing to stop it. Allegiance to a blood status turned out to be a strawman.” 

Hermione believed that she had been prepared herself for this moment and the range of things that he might say or not say. It was different to hear the words directly from him. Ultimately though, she felt a sense of relief. These weren’t just sentiments that he had disclosed to a friend. He’d actually approached her to express them directly to her. 

“I’m not expecting you to say anything. I just wanted the opportunity to extend it to you, so thank you for letting me.

“Draco--” Her fingers fidgeted with the book in her hand. If she hadn’t been preparing for this moment and hadn’t gotten to see another side of Draco this school year, she wasn’t sure quite if she would have been prepared to so simply forgive him.

“I appreciate the apology. I think most of the school can see you’ve made an effort to make this year different...I forgive you.” He let out what was most likely a small sigh of relief and responded with a nod of appreciation. 

An awkward pause passed between them. She anticipated he might move to let her return to her book next if she didn’t give him an indication to stay.

“You know, I have a stash of sugar quills that I brought along for the train ride. We could share a few of them if you still have some time. Maybe we can talk a bit more since we’re no longer nemesis.” She suggested in hopes to lighten the air of their conversation. 

Draco smiled.“Sure--that would be great.” 

Hermione and Draco spent the next few hours casually chatting further about their holiday break and the classes they were taking this year. Hermione felt so much freedom getting to talk to him as herself, though there was some getting used to the difference--Draco initially wasn’t as comfortable as she was. By the end, Draco had started opening up to her. There was some laughter and comments made in jest sprinkled throughout their conversation. He had mentioned his attempts to reach out to form some different friendships this year.

“Have you enjoyed your new friendships?” 

“Yes, it's interesting to think about the people I ignored over the years for such petty reasons. Fenwick, in particular, has become a good friend. Even getting to know Red through him. She’s quite the spitfire. Brilliant Quidditch player, which I never thought I’d hear myself say about a Weasley.”

Hermione chuckled. “She’s got scouts coming to matches, if you can believe it.” 

“Oh, I absolutely can. I have no doubt she’ll get an offer at the end of the year.” They chatted a bit more about the rest of the Quidditch season. 

“It’s funny.” Draco commented, “I knew you were a bit supporter of the team because of Potter but I never thought you actually had a real interest in Quidditch.” 

Hermione could feel her cheeks grow hot. “I--uh--didn’t use to, but I’ve gotten to know the game a bit more.” She paused and regarded him but he didn’t seem to think anything of it. “I’ve had a great teacher.” 

With that statement, the topic seemed to come to a close. “Well, I think it's time I grabbed my things since we’ll be arriving not after long. It was good talking with you, Granger.” He extended genuinely. 

She needed to be getting ready for their arrival as well. However, just as Draco had slid the compartment door open, she called after him. 

“I was wondering... if maybe we could hang out again. We could get to know each other more--be friends--if you’re still looking for some.” 

He grinned at her and her heart raced. “Sure, I’m happy to consider new applicants.” 

She smiled back at him. “How about the next Hogsmeade visit? We can meet in the courtyard and head over together.” 

“Sounds like a date. See you, Granger.” 

“Hermione--you should call me Hermione. Since we’ll be friends now.” 

“Hermione.” He nodded to her and headed down the hallway of the traincar. 

\-----

The weekend of the first Hogsmeade visit was scheduled for early February, Hermione woke up early in anticipation of the day. She hurried to get dressed, was one of the first at breakfast and then found herself with time to kill until she had to meet Draco. Ginny had been leaving for breakfast when she had returned and wished her luck for the day ahead and had Hermione promise that she would tell her all about it when she got back that evening. She sat in the common room reading a book, or attempting to, she had a difficult time concentrating as she waited. 

At quarter to ten, she made her way down to the front courtyard. When she arrived, Draco was already waiting but had not noticed her arrival. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw him. She took a moment to compose herself before she made her presence known.

“Good morning, Draco.” 

He looked at her and smiled, returning her greeting. He gestured towards the path to Hogsmeade. 

As they walked down the path, Draco asked her what she hoped to do for the day.

“I was thinking that we could go to Honeydukes and then stop for a butterbeer after at The Three Broomsticks.”

“You don’t want to stop by Scrivenshaft's?” Draco asked her with surprise in his voice. 

“I actually love going to Scrivenshaft's, though, usually I try to find time to go by myself. Ron and Harry were never interested in going to that shop.”

“I’d be more than happy to go there with you. I’m running low on parchment anyway.” 

“We can go there first.” 

When they arrived at the shop, Hermione shared with Draco how much she loved the smell of new parchment as Draco collected his. He then joined Hermione as she looked at the different types of quills. They both shared a preference for finer quill tips. Hermione shared with Draco how Ron would always purchase quills with the thickest tips, thinking that it would cut down on how much he actually had to write for his essays. They shared a laugh over it. They looked around a bit more before they agreed to head over to Honeydukes.

“I’m curious, what sweets does your mother usually send you?”

“Have you an interest in what mail I get?”

“Oh, please, the whole school knows your mother constantly sends you sweets throughout the year. Before this year, you were always very vocal about it.” 

“She usually sends liquorice wands, choco-loco, or treacle fudge. She also sends cauldron cakes every so often. Crabbe and Goyle used to eat most of them. I asked her not to send them as much this year. I don’t have the same crowd to share them with.”

“What do you plan to get at Honeydukes?”

“Well, you know already that I like sugar quills. I don’t usually get much more than those though. My parents are dentists and it would drive them mad if they even knew the volume of sugar I consumed while I’m away at school.” 

“Dentists--is that where they tend to people’s teeth?”

“Yes! How did you know? I feel like most wizards I meet never understand that role in the muggle world.”

“Actually, Blaise told me. HeI mentioned it after some Slug Club meeting. Came back telling me how your parents worked with teeth for a living. He also mentioned a story you must have told about a patient who injured one of your parents while tending to them. I don’t think any of us would have admitted it, but we were all pretty fascinated by it.” 

Hermione was jolted by the memory Draco resurfaced. She had told that story during a Slug Club meeting. Robbie Fenwick...the boy who bit her father. She continued alongside Draco trying not to let her anxiety show by the realization. Blaise thankfully must not have remembered or relayed or either chose to omit the name of the boy when retelling the story to Draco and his friends. Otherwise, she was certain Draco would have connected the dots there and then.

“Hermione,” Draco prompted, bringing her out of her thoughts. When she looked over at him, she realized that he was holding the door open to Honeydukes, waiting for her to enter first. 

“Oh, thank you.” 

Honeydukes was packed with students, as it usually was. They wandered around the shop for a while window shopping and debating all of the various sweets they came by. They tested samples of Bertie Botts that they had out. Draco unfortunately selected a bean he insisted was dirt flavored. He briefly excused himself, stating that he wanted to check something. Upon return, he’d purchased a bag of sugar quills for her. She blushed as he handed the bag to her and she extended a thank you. From there, Hermione led the way to The Three Broomsticks where they could get a butterbeer. 

They settled into a small table and both ordered a butterbeers. Their conversation progressed into questions about each other’s families after her parents had been brought up earlier. Though she had talked with Draco about his family when she was Robbie, Draco shared quite a bit about them that she hadn’t heard before. They talked about their plans after they finished the school year, which led into Hermione sharing that she was already preparing for NEWTS at the end of the term. 

“If it isn’t Hermione Granger.” She turned to see Madam Rosmerta approaching their table. “It’s good to have you here again. Do you need anything?” 

“Hello Rosmerta. Thank you, we’re doing fine.” Madam Rosmerta at that moment registered Draco as her companion. The smile immediately dropped from her face. Hermione felt daft. She obviously hadn’t been thinking when she suggested the Three Broomsticks and Draco hadn’t expressed anything when she brought it up earlier as part of their plans. He kept his head low, not daring to look up at Rosmerta staring daggers at him. 

Madam Rosmerta recovered and glanced back at her.“Well, Hermione, you tell me if you need anything, alright?” And with that, she left. 

An uncomfortable silence hung between her and Draco. 

“Draco, are you okay?”

“Yes...I’m fine,” he mumbled.

“I’m sorry...I didn’t even think--” 

“Hermione, it’s fine. Truly, I’m not the one deserving of concern.” He cleared his throat. “So, you were saying....” 

Draco obviously didn’t want to talk about it and Hermione wasn’t going to push him. She obliged him by picking up where she had left off previously. They talked for a bit longer but Draco was  not  only offering short responses or acknowledgements. Hermione eventually gave up on further conversation with him. 

“Shall we head back to the castle?” Hermione asked. 

Draco agreed and then made their way out of The Three Broomsticks. 

Hermione noted that even after they left, Draco remained passive. He wasn’t engaged in their conversation on the walk back from Hogsmeade, but she tried not to think anything of it. They arrived back at the entrance to the courtyard where they had met that morning. 

“That was fun. Thank you, Draco. What do you think if we meet up again next Hogsmeade trip? I’m sure I will have depleted my stash of sugar quills by then.” Hermione attempted to bring him back around. 

Perhaps this could be the beginning of Hermione and Draco--a prime opportunity for the transition she and Ginny had talked about. Soon, she wouldn’t need to be Robbie anymore. 

Once Gryffindor played Hufflepuff, there would be no reason to really keep learning the game. Though with Draco’s help, she’d surprisingly come to enjoy it. 

“Umm...I’m not sure if that will work.” Draco wouldn’t look at her as he said it. 

She felt her heart drop. She felt a range of emotions from disappointment to frustration. She’d led every effort since Draco’s apology to open a door, which he just abruptly shut. 

“I’m not sure if hanging out again will be a great idea, Granger.” He was calling her Granger again.

Her expression hardened. “That’s fine. See you around, Malfoy.” With that, she walked through the courtyard towards the entrance, leaving Draco behind. 

\-----

Hermione was in a foul mood later that evening when she met with the team to give some updates on practices. Hufflepuff had just recently started up practices again along with Gryffindor. Hermione relayed to them some of the different plays and defenses that she’d seen them working on that were new from last year. She noted they were still using a slow ball approach when on offense. Otherwise, their regimen was almost unpredictable and based on what they saw against Ravenclaw at the end of the year, this team was incredibly versatile in being able to adapt quickly against different strategies during play. 

Cormac had brought up the idea of trying something different and perhaps controversial. The 2-2 defense, where chasers implored the Keeper out of the scoring area to help defend further up the pitch. 

Ginny was hesitant to the idea but Cormac was insistent they needed to try something different. The rest of the team was open to it but not as motivated as Cormac. Ginny agreed they could spend a couple of their upcoming practices seeing how it went and then she’d make a decision on whether or not they would adapt it. Following the end of the meeting, Ginny asked if she was still planning to keep meeting with Draco after Hogsmeade.

“Why, Gin?” 

“Hermione, I hate to put you in this position--I know that your date the other day, didn’t end well.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“Okay...I just thought, if you were still planning to meet with him, if you might see what he thinks about Cormac’s idea. If you’re not, please don’t worry about it. I would never want to put you in an uncomfortable position after what happened.” 

Despite what had happened, she hadn’t immediately considered cancelling future practices with Draco. While she felt that she needed some time to recover from her recent disappointment, she also knew the match with Hufflepuff was quickly approaching which meant their window to utilize his assistance needed to be timely.

“I’ll talk to him.” 

\-----

Hermione was scheduled to meet up with Draco again, as Robbie, in the library. They had not yet returned to outside practices but she had already started braving the cold weather to watch Hufflepuff once they had resumed practices. Thank goodness for warming charms or she felt her bum would have frozen. After their team meeting the other day, Ginny had taken it upon herself to connect with Draco to let him know that Robbie was hoping they could meet. Hermione had talked at length with Ginny after Draco had rejected essentially any additional contact between the two of them. She figured Ginny found mutual benefit out of getting Hermione to meet with him again--she gets her vetted information on Hufflepuff and attempts to solve Hermione’s love life in the same go.

This time, Hermione decided to show up late. She became even more upset when she noted that Draco was not in her usual study spot so she had to search the library for where he had settled.

“Hey,” Draco greeted, when she found him at a table towards the back of the library.

Hermione nodded indignantly, not making eye contact. She dramatically turned the pages on her notebook as she pieced through her notes.

“I want to learn about defensive strategies.” Hermione said abruptly, finally looking at him. 

Draco had furrowed his brow, registering her standoffish behavior but Hermione didn’t care.

“Are you okay?”

“Perfect--tell me you think about teams that use 2-2 defense.” 

“I think...some would call it progressive, others staunchly oppose the technique. The rule book is still out on it as --the confederation has yet to take a stance. I don’t see that time coming soon though as most teams don’t embrace it.” 

“That doesn’t tell me anything,” Hermione huffed in frustration. 

“Fenwick, what’s with you?” 

At that moment, Hermione tried to reign her emotions in. She was Robbie now and not Hermione. She could not allow her emotions to run away from her. 

She tried to calm down and clarify. “Would you use the technique, if you were leading a team?” 

“No, I wouldn’t. I have yet to see a team’s strategy significantly improve with its use. One example, the Magpies relied on it heavily last season and showed no improvement. Some would argue more execution but that’s not my opinion.” Draco responded to her tentatively. “Are you sure something is not bothering you?”

Hermione had been able to resolve her emotions at this point, so as not to draw more questions from him. “I’m fine, really. Had a rough day.” She feigned returning to her notes as if preparing for a next question to ask him. 

“I’m not sure if you heard from your girlfriend, I spoke to Hermione like you said. Her and I even went to Hogsmeade together on the last trip.” 

Hermione looked back to him. “How did it go?” 

“I’m glad you encouraged me to talk to her but I don’t think I completely thought through going with her to Hogsmeade.” Draco sat back, struggling to form his next words. “I like her, though I had no expectations other than hanging out as friends. However, I think she might be interested in something more but I rejected the suggestion. She doesn’t deserve the baggage of having a former blood prejudiced, death eater boyfriend. Even if she could be willing to look past all of that.” 

Hermione’s heart stopped. She liked him--naturally a confession was what she would have wanted to hear and yet this shouldn’t be it. She wanted to hear of Draco’s feelings as Hermione. That opportunity felt stolen from her but it was her own fault. 

Draco let out a sigh. “You can’t share this back with your girlfriend, Fenwick, got it?"

Hermione felt uncomfortable again--she could obviously make a deal to not tell Ginny but unfortunately, Draco was unknowingly about to share the very information his deal was meant to prevent it getting back to. 

Hermione had so much she wanted to say. She could just as easily use her disguise to convince him not to think that way, to seek her out again and get her opinion, to not act like some martyr for her. This time though, she just couldn’t do it. If she really ever hoped that they might be something someday, she needed to stop building more potential hurdles between them. She’d have to figure out how to make it a possibility as Hermione. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I am excited for next week's chapter! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update! This chapter took a bit longer to edit. Next is the last--it may also post late due to edits. Thanks for reading!
> 
> I commissioned a piece from Avendell inspired by this story--if you have a tumblr, please consider visiting her page to show her some love: https://avendell.tumblr.com/post/623277291878875136/quidditch-commission-thank-you

In February, the Quidditch season had resumed with Slytherin v. Ravenclaw. Slytherin won, but thankfully, neither team had gained a significant point total, which was good news for Gryffindor just a few weeks out from their match with Hufflepuff. 

Draco and Hermione resumed their practice sessions a few days following the match. Hermione wasn’t sure if it was by neglect or intention that Draco picked a time that coincided with Hufflepuff’s practice session that day. Hermione suppressed the guilt that plagued her conscience. Ginny was currently running an intense practice schedule for Gryffindor and here Hermione was opting to play Quidditch with Draco. She could take one day off. They had recently sat down again and After all, they had sat down recently and reviewed some new techniques and plays that were different from what she had seen prior to the end of last year. 

Hermione and Draco went one on one with her making attempts for a goal. Draco was filling a hybrid role of defending as both a Chaser and a Keeper depending on how close Hermione was getting to the hoops. 

Draco was an aggressive defender which she appreciated. It challenged her to think and problem solve her next moves quickly and strategically. They were zooming back and forth on their brooms in a dance as Hermione kept trying to find a shot. 

Just as she had completed a roll on her broomstick around Draco--she saw it.

An opening.

Her opportune moment. 

She’d only recently come to recognize it when watching, and now she saw it herself. In the half-second she registered this, she heaved the Quaffle forward with all of her strength. Feeling the sweet release from her fingertips, she watched as Draco failed to grab for it--allowing the Quaffle to sail smoothly through the goal hoop. 

She scored. 

Hermione had never directly scored on Draco and now she did it. 

Pure elation graced her face--or rather, Robbie’s. She was so incredibly happy she didn’t even care if Draco gave Robbie a hard time for squealing like a girl. She flew in celebratory circles and rolls as she continued to scream for joy. As they both landed, she ran towards Draco, about to tackle him into the ground before she registered what she was doing. 

She experienced momentary disappointment as she recovered and remembered herself. Draco reached forward to pat her on the shoulder and wish her congratulations on a pristine first goal. 

\-----

A few weeks later, at the beginning of March, was the game Ginny had been working the team towards. What started out as a strong showing for both teams quickly turned in Hufflepuff’s favor. As Dean had mentioned, they’d surely be catering their practice and play after seeing every team’s first matches, just as Gryffindor had done as well. Despite giving it their all, Gryffindor lost to Hufflepuff, 230-110. 

Ginny gave the team a resounding pep talk following the loss, affirming how hard they had all worked, what they had done well and that they needed to remain focused on. There were still two matches left, and if they did well enough, they would still have a chance at the cup. That night, Hermione stayed with her until she fell asleep strategizing the team’s next game. 

After Ginny had fallen asleep, Hermione started to feel guilt rush over her. If only she had been able to be more useful to them at the beginning. If it hadn’t have taken her so long to figure out the game, maybe the outcome wouldn’t have been the same. Or maybe she’d allowed herself to become too distracted with Draco and their practices. As she reflected on their conversation prior to break, she realized only a few of her insights had really aided them in today’s match--Hufflepuff’s strategy kept evolving in real time when they played. She hoped Ginny wouldn’t direct her disappointment at her. 

\-----

Now that their game with Hufflepuff was over, there was really no more necessity for Hermione to continue practices with Draco. She didn’t want to stop, though. Not only because she wanted to continue to see Draco but because she felt invested at this point. She was proud of the progress she had made in the sport and wanted to continue. Imagine what Harry and Ron might think after the year finished and she surprised them by joining in on their pick-up Quidditch games. 

She had convinced Ginny to come to one of their practices since Draco wanted to run some three person formations to simulate actual play. She thought it would be a good thing to get her out and give her an opportunity to refocus. 

As an opening exercise, Draco had the three of them pass the Quaffle between them in a weave as they flew across the pitch. Then he added in a second Quaffle to add another layer of challenge to it. That was followed by a momentary argument of whether the one formation had a greater scoring rate than another. 

“The only reason someone could argue it isn’t more effective is a result of idiots who have inadequate execution,” Draco argued.

They went with Ginny’s. 

After formations, another argument ensued over which of them would be the best to switch to playing opposition against Hermione. Draco won that time, arguing that because Ginny didn’t know the full extent of Robbie’s progress, she may go easier on him. 

At the end of what would have been their normal practice, Hermione sat out while Draco went one-on-one with Ginny. She was happy to give Ginny an opportunity to play with someone at her level and the two seemed to get on well--making quips back and forth at each other. She hoped today was a beneficial distraction for Ginny after her disappointment from the last match. 

Once Ginny and Draco landed, Hermione summoned everything back into Draco’s trunk and they started heading back towards the castle. 

“You run a great practice, Malfoy. Why’d you decide to quit the Slytherin team?” Ginny asked, oblivious to her a loaded question.

Hermione gulped and then wearily glanced towards Draco, unsure how he would answer. 

“You know, it just wasn’t the same since none of my old classmates returned this year.” She watched him pause for a moment. “You know, Ginny…”

Hermione smiled as she heard Draco use her first name rather than just call her, ‘Red.’

“Don’t let the loss to Hufflepuff beat you up. You and I both know that Ravenclaw is shit this year. If you keep up the work you’ve already done with your team, the cup is still attainable.” 

“Thanks, Draco. That’s kind of you. ” 

“Well, it's not free. I expect season tickets to the Harpies next year for all the work I’ve invested in your boyfriend over here.” Draco winked at Ginny.

“Oh, done! You deserve box seats for that alone.” For extra effect, Draco and Ginny shook on it. 

Hermione feigned insult. In reality, she couldn’t be happier seeing her best friend getting along with the boy she liked. “I’m right here!” 

\-----

A few weeks later, Draco and Hermione set out towards the fields. Draco had started having her practice in full gear after the break. This time, she purposely did not question Cormac on where or how he was able to obtain a Hufflepuff Quidditch uniform. 

“Draco, where are we going?”

“You’ll see. It is time, my apprentice.”

She was pretty sure today was an intramural day, though so she wasn’t exactly sure why they were headed for practice in the actual stadium. As they entered the pitch, she froze. She had never paid attention to the intramural schedule--but a sea of canary yellow stretched out ahead of her. 

Hufflepuff played today.

“Macmillan!” She watched as Draco approached Ernie Macmillan, intramural captain, who was standing just on the edge of the pitch as the team warmed up.

“Malfoy, what are you doing here? We’re playing Ravenclaw today.”

“Yes, but I’m here to add a player to your roster. I’ve been training up Fenwick here. He’s gotten rather good as a chaser. We made a deal he’d play in a match and since today’s your last one…”

“Who’s Fenwick?”

“Robbie--Robbie Fenwick.” Draco glanced back at her, gesturing towards her. 

Hermione’s legs felt like lead. She wanted to run but she felt paralyzed. This was the moment it would all fall apart. And she wasn’t ready. 

“I’ve never seen that bloke in my life. What are you playing at, Malfoy?”

Draco looked between her and Ernie, confused. 

“Robbie Fenwick, seventh year Hufflepuff? Standing right over there?” 

She could tell Draco was getting escalated. She couldn’t be sure if it was at Ernie or if he was starting to catch on. 

“Malfoy, I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. There has never been a Robbie Fenwick in our house and I certainly have not seen him once in my time at Hogwarts.”

“Ernie! Come on--we need to start--get over here,” a player on his team yelled over at him. Without another word or glance at either of them Ernie took off on his broom to start the match. 

It took a few moments before Draco finally looked at her. When he did, it was like ice running through her veins. His befuddled glare was murderous. 

“What the fuck is going on?” 

Her heart was racing. She had always known this was a possibility. That she wouldn’t be able to tell him on her own terms. But she couldn’t stop thinking about how caught off guard she was. 

“Can we talk outside?” Hermione finally managed. 

“Yes, I think we ought to.” Draco’s voice was so cold. She recognized the contempt she’d become used to over the past seven years.He stomped immediately towards the exit without a glance. It took a moment for her to work up the courage to follow him. When he finally stopped outside the stadium, she thought about how the truth was about to unfold on their practice field. 

“What is going on? Why does Macmillan not have any idea who you are?” Draco started. 

As was normal for her, she tried to think of a logical way to explain all of this to Draco. Instead, what came out was a blunt confession.

“There is no Robbie Fenwick.” 

Draco simply glared at her in silence, expectant. 

“And?” 

“I’m a Hogwarts student but Robbie Fenwick is a disguise. I’m--I’m not a Hufflepuff.” 

“Then who the fuck are you?”

She could hear the impatience in his outburst. Hermione reached into her robes to grab her wand and held it to her face. She took one last moment to look him in the eyes before she muttered a few incantations. 

She saw Draco’s anger deflate. His jaw dropped open in shock as he registered her. 

“Granger.”

She thought she heard disbelief with a hint of disappointment. After a few moments, he looked away. She could see him struggling to sort through the implications of this revelation. She expected a reactionary statements and questions, but when he finally looked back at her, there was only one:

“Why?” 

Hermione spoke quickly -- too quickly. “To a certain extent, you already know the answer. What we told you previously was true. I was helping Ginny and the rest of the team. They wanted help to try and beat Hufflepuff so I agreed to spy on their practices but I didn’t know anything. I ran into you that day, I wasn’t expecting it just like you weren’t and things just kept going and it got to a point where I didn’t know what to do anymore.” 

“And what about the rest? How do you justify it?”

Before she could respond, Draco continued, connecting the dots for her. “You lied to me. You manipulated me. I trusted you with so much… I told you things that I was not ready to say to... _you_. Can you honestly say you didn’t intend to manipulate me? You saw an opportunity and you took it, huh?” 

Hermione could feel tears start to fall from her eyes. “No...no. It wasn’t like that. I was your friend--”

“Hell no, Granger,” he spat.Friendship entails trust. You completely destroyed that trust. If it even existed, considering it was built on a lie in the first place!”

“You’re right. I know I made loads of mistakes but I grew to care for you so much and then after a while I just knew that I was in too deep and I didn’t know how to get out. I ever meant to abuse your trust. All I wanted was to know you as me. When you mentioned me, I saw the only chance I might get to talk to you as me.

“Bullocks--you had opportunities and you never took them! I obviously don’t know you.” 

She was beyond trying to make a logical argument. She let her emotions start to edge their way in. “Draco, Robbie was always me! I was always Robbie! Everything that day in Hogsmeade was genuine. There was never a point I changed who I was. You know me.” She hesitated to unleash the next words at the tip of her tongue, revealing her vulnerability. “I-I want you to stay in my life.” She didn’t bother specifying how - she’d take any way he would interpret that. However, no matter how she wanted to internally rationalize her actions, his anger was just.

Draco responded with nothing but silence. 

“Draco…”

“No. I can’t talk to you anymore. ” 

With that, he walked away. 

Hermione stayed in the field in a daze - she wasn’t sure quite how long had passed before she drug herself back to Gryffindor tower - oblivious to the odd stares that she received along the way. 

Ginny was sitting on her bed when Hermione entered the dormitory. She must have connected the dots since Hermione was vacant of her disguise but still dressed in the Hufflepuff uniforms. “What happened, Hermione??” 

She wasn’t sure if Ginny could really follow what had happened as Hermione stammered through an explanation of what had transpired - she nodded along in understanding just the same. She was far better at comfort than Hermione was. ‘Take your time.’ ‘Deep breath.’ She relayed to Ginny how Draco had found out, what she could recall immediately of their argument and how upset he was, and his exit from the conversation. 

The next few weeks were a blur. She was grieving the loss of their friendship and the complicated mess of the potential for more with Draco, though she had no one to blame but herself. When she would attempt to look at him at meals, in classes or when they passed each other in the corridors, he staunchly avoided her. It was like being cold and empty as a shell all at the same time. 

One particular morning, Ginny was trying her best to help Hermione bounce back, as usual. 

“Why don’t we go flying today? Don’t let what has happened with Draco overshadow your progress.”

“It’s too soon. I’ve got too much association between it and him right now. I just need some time.” 

Ginny didn’t push further and tried to give her space, as needed. 

\-----

Hermione had settled by the fireplace in the common room for the evening. Ginny wasn’t far from her, settled at a table playing wizard chess against Katie. Hermione had been moping around too often lately. She thought it would be good to make a change in scenery and push herself to be around her housemates again to lift her spirits. She had a book she’d been anxious to read for awhile and was looking forward to escaping into it for a while. 

She was a few chapters in when she couldn’t help but overhear Seamus Finnegan inquiring about their team’s intramural Quidditch match this weekend--it would be the final against Slytherin. 

“Oi, Williams. I’ve heard you're decent at Quidditch--we need another player for the final intramural match this weekend.” 

Williams replied, “What happened to Evans?”

“Dragon Pox--poor guy. He probably won’t be out in time to take his NEWTS.” 

Hermione listened as Williams declined Seamus’ offer. 

“Shite. I don’t know how I’m going to find a decent player in just two days.” 

Hermione slammed her book shut. Her mind was made up before she was even sure she’d even processed the thought.

“I’ll do it, Seamus.” She stood from where she’d been sitting. She glanced over at Ginny who seemed elated by Hermione’s pronouncement. 

“No offense, Hermione, have you ever played in a Quidditch match?” 

“Never.” She pronounced that confidently though as she registered the thought she realized that comment actually didn’t bode well for her argument. “What I mean to say is, no, but I know how to play. I’m a Chaser. I’m a team player. I constantly thrive off of finding solutions to challenges at a moment’s notice. I don’t give up.” 

Her declarations did not appear to do much to persuade Seamus. “I don’t know, Hermione…” 

“She can do it!” Ginny's proclamation caused Hermione to break out in a smile. She always had her back. “I’ve seen and even practiced with Hermione, she’s absolutely a Chaser and I know she can do it. Put her on the roster, Finnegan.” 

“This is the final match for the intramurals--are you sure, Ginny? We’ll need her..” 

Hermione jumped in. “Seamus, I can do it. I know I can.”

\-----

She couldn’t do it.

 _What the hell was she thinking?_ She could barely sleep last night and she’d felt nothing but sick over the match today. She suddenly understood what Ron must have felt like right before his first match in sixth year. Toss the rules - she would have drunk the Felix Felicis.

Hermione dragged her way through the morning and drank as much coffee as she could get. Ginny thankfully had lended her a broom and uniform for the match today. She really had no excuse to not keep going. She had set out to do this for herself and now was plagued with anxiety over whether she’d make a fool of herself in front of Draco and the other houses. He’d be ashamed of her after everything he’d invested in training her. 

Ginny stayed right by her side as she walked to the pitch, sharing words of encouragement. 

“You can do this, Hermione. I know you can. Don’t worry about anyone else--this is for you. You’re going to blow everyone away today.” 

Her heart practically stopped though when she saw Draco upon her arrival. He was standing next to Scarlett Lympsham and Daryl Morden, two of their team chasers. 

“Would you look at that? Granger’s chasing! Aw, give us a challenge, Finnegan! It’s supposed to be the final and you just made this a walk in the park. Everyone knows Granger can’t fly.” Morden taunted her as Hermione congregated with the team in the middle of the pitch. 

Hermione suppressed the urge to bite back. She remained stoic at Morden’s comments. 

“Shut it, Morden.” Draco roughly hit him against his shoulder as he walked past him and mounted his broom to take his position. 

She tried not to allow his action to distract her. Now was not the time. She kept reminding herself this wasn’t for Draco. This was the one area where she had yet to excel and this was her opportunity to demonstrate herself further as a polymath. 

Seamus brought the team in for one last pep talk before everyone had to take their positions. He offered her a few words of encouragement as she readied for the start of the match. She looked up at Draco in position above them. She was surprised to find that he was looking back at her. When they locked eyes, he didn’t look away. He kept eye contact with her but his expression was unreadable. She was brought back to attention as she heard the bludgers and Snitch released. She tightened her hands on the broom. Seamus would go for the Quaffle and Hermione was to dive low at the start of play. 

The whistle blew and the match was on. 

Hermione dived low as planned and looked over her shoulder before she flew too far and could not see who had taken first possession of the Quaffle. She smiled seeing that Seamus had been successful in snatching it from Morden. Hermione moved left to help screen hurdles in his path. She held tight as she bumped up against Lympsham. Slytherin was always physically aggressive whether on offense or defense. With that she was able to clear some space for Seamus and Sally Birchgrove. She saw that Seamus had passed the Quaffle over to Sally. From what she knew of Sally’s play, she had a tendency to take shots prematurely. As they reached the edge of the scoring zone, Hermione slowed up as to not procure a foul of Stooging. She dropped low as she watched the Quaffle leave Sally’s hands but the Quaffle was knocked away by their Keeper. Hermione shot up towards the Quaffle in play and just before Morden could grab it, she made a swift spin of her broom and knocked the Quaffle back towards Seamus who successfully intercepted and scored. 10 points. 

“Hermione!!! That was brilliant!” She could hear Ginny’s cheers for her from the sideline. It was off to a good start. She could do this. As she heard Ginny, she wanted to take a moment to find Draco but she forced herself to stay focused on the match. It’d be crazy to think he’d react positively since his own house was the opposing team. 

She moved into defensive mode as Slytherin took back possession of the Quaffle. She’d made an attempt to grab at the Quaffle as she’d flown by them. When he threw the Quaffle over to Lympsham, Sally flew in to intercept it. Just as they had gained possession back of the Quaffle, a Slytherin Beater hit a bludger right at Sally, knocking her broom and bumping the Quaffle loose from her grip. 

Morden swooped in and grabbed the Quaffle. Hermione ducked out of the way abruptly as she avoided a bludger that their own Beater slung towards Morden to throw off his path. Before it could, Morden had passed it off to their other Chaser flying just above him. As he had hands on it, Seamus bumped up against him to knock the Quaffle loose and intercept it. Seamus had almost a clear path to the rings. As he neared their goal post, Lymphsam came to the aid of their Keeper, attempting to block him head on. Hermione flew in to screen Lympsham and Seamus drew back from the scoring area, passing the Quaffle to Sally who came in from below, and this time, found an opening to throw the Quaffle into. Another 10 points to Gryffindor. 

Play continued back and forth. Slytherin continued to charge at them whenever possible and they continued to shut Slytherin down while on defense. 

A real Quidditch game moved so much faster than she could have imagined but she put everything into keeping up. Slytherin racked up four goals and Gryffindor was able to score an additional seven. Hermione had yet to attempt her own goal and had focused on assists for Seamus and Sally. She barely had time to process whether or not the Snitch had been seen. If they could keep this up, they may not even have to worry about which team caught the Snitch as it would be a point victory for them. 

Hermione was able to grab the Quaffle after a failed goal attempt by Slytherin. She raced across the pitch through whatever openings that she could find. She held onto it after a bump from their Chaser, ducked a free flying bludger and kept looking for either Sally or Seamus to pass it off to. They weren’t near to assist and Morden was right on her tail. He tried to cut her off near the scoring area. 

She saw the rings straight in front of her, all she had to do was stave off Morden and get the Quaffle around the keeper. She and Morden did a bit of a dance around one another, she had a momentary flash back to her first goal on Draco. She looked for a clear shot around him and the Keeper. Despite the chaos, she thought back to all of her practices. 

Patience--wait for the right moment--she needed to stay focused. 

Then, as she saw Morden decide he was done dancing and she could tell he was going to make a direct charge at her, she saw it--a clear opening. She felt the Quaffle release from the tips of her fingers, with not even a full beat passing, before she felt the weight of Morden slam into her. 

“HERMIONE!!! YOU DID IT! 10 POINTS!!!” She heard Ginny scream from the sidelines. She hadn’t even seen it go through. 

Steadying herself back on her broom, she couldn’t even believe what she had just heard. She did it. It wasn’t even an assist. She’s scored a goal. She’d done it all on her own. She was elated. Despite the chants that she heard coming from Ginny and the others she couldn’t help herself this time and tried to find where Draco was to register a reaction. Before she could locate him though, she heard a cry from someone. 

“He caught the Snitch!” 

All play suddenly halted to confirm which team had been the victor in catching the Snitch. She heard the whooping of Slytherins. It was a moment after she registered Draco holding up the small golden ball and his fellow team members were flying over to give him pats on the back. 

They’d lost. 190-100

Hermione reminded herself she had so much to be proud of but it didn’t fully take away the sting of losing. It wasn’t a common feeling that she experienced. She supposed this was one of the benefits of never really getting involved in sports. 

Still, she was happy for Draco. He’d worked so hard to better himself and this was the moment he’d wanted. Though she had no clear path to view him, she smiled towards him nonetheless. 

Before long though, her housemates encircled her with congratulatory gestures and words of affirmation for putting up an impressive showing in her first match. She was overwhelmed by her housemates' excitement despite the fact that they had not won. Their support helped Hermione revel in the reality of what she had just achieved. 

\-----

Hermione had excused herself early from their late night gathering in the common room. Ginny had kindly organized a small get together that evening in honor of Hermione’s first Quidditch match. She appreciated Ginny’s gesture significantly.

As she neared her bed, a letter caught her eye. She had a fleeting hope of who it might be from. She picked it up and opened it. 

_Quidditch Pitch_

_Tomorrow, 10pm_

_-DM_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, if anyone is a fan of CaBW, I loved Draco and Ernie. Obviously, not the same dynamics between them here but after reading that story, I simply had to insert Ernie in here somewhere.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! I'm incredibly sorry I got off of my update schedule. I am so incredibly thankful to Anne_Ammons and iforgottocall who both graciously stepped in to help me edit the last chapter of this story! Thank you to those of you who enjoyed this and kept with it - this was my first multichapter fic that I wrote this year and it feels great to have it all posted now!

That evening, Hermione arrived at the stadium to meet with Draco. As she took her last few steps towards the pitch, she wasn’t sure yet what she would say to him or what he would want to say to her. She’d contemplated additional rationales for her behavior this past school year, but hadn’t come up with much. Hermione wasn’t immediately aware that he was already there when she arrived until she heard a sound above her and realized he was doing laps on his broom. Since it didn’t seem he noticed that she had arrived, she took a seat on the ground to watch him. 

She’d been so caught up in her own lessons that this was the first opportunity she’d had to appreciate Draco’s flying skills. She’d seen him fly over the years but his play was never her focus unless he was bumping up against Harry for the Snitch. She reflected on how amazing it was that one’s perception of someone could easily influence one’s picture of them. Knowing a different side of Draco gave her greater appreciation for his magic. 

She was content to be in his presence again. She closed her eyes, the sound of his broom flying through the late night sky calmed her. A few minutes later, the sound stopped as Draco’s feet landed on the ground. She opened her eyes--he had not landed far from her. Sound of his broom sliced through the wind. 

“Granger,” he greeted as he approached her. She watched as Draco ran his hand through his hair, noting that he was wearing his Quidditch jersey again. 

His greeting deflated her. “No more, ‘Hermione,’ huh?”

“No more, ‘Fenwick,’ either...” 

She shook her head and began to fidget with her hands as she waited to understand why he called her here. Still seated on the ground, she stared up at him, waiting for him to start whatever conversation he wanted to have. 

He surprised her though; he sighed and sat down in front of her. The gesture tugged at her heart, reminiscent of the breaks they would take together during his long quidditch practices. 

“I’d like you to start from the beginning again.” Draco stated his request in a way that gave her no insight as to what he was thinking. 

Hermione would honor his request; however she took a moment to collect her thoughts before answering. She had hoped for another chance at explaining the mess she had gotten herself caught up in. The situation was complex and using the wrong words would ruin the chance Draco was giving her to explain. Since he was willing to listen, she would try and unravel this mess. 

Hermione started from the beginning, explaining how she had gotten roped into helping Ginny and the team try to get a leg up on Hufflepuff's performance because of her advanced transfiguration skills, even though she was rubbish at Quidditch. She explained how running into him as Robbie had taken her completely by surprise. She knew that she needed help and she knew Draco was looking to build a friendship. Hermione obviously didn’t initially know that she could trust him with their plan, given their history. She emphasized that any time Draco sought explanations, she had been mostly truthful; although when Ginny entered the picture, it had created more lies. 

Draco did not move or speak as she relayed the story beginning to end. He simply sat there, attentive and intently processing. Hermione knew this was a one-time opportunity, so she put everything on the table: how she had grown to like him as they spent more time together; that the more time he spent with her as Robbie the more she wasn’t sure quite how he would be able to know her as Hermione. She took responsibility for some poor choices that she’d made in the process: the front with Ginny, encouraging him to talk to her, etc. She stopped at the moment everything imploded. After she finished, she stayed silent so that Draco knew she was done and it was all up to him. 

After what felt like hours, Draco finally spoke,“That day in the library, you convinced me to apologize to you. Why?”

“Honestly, it wasn’t that I was trying to convince you to apologize to me--not that I didn’t appreciate it when you did. I saw an opportunity for you to talk to  _ me _ , not Robbie. I know I manipulated the situation but I didn’t think you’d go from hot to cold so quickly when you did spend time with me.” 

“And what did you think... when I told you why I did it--why I refused your offer to meet again?” 

“I-I realized during that conversation how much of a mess I had made of it all. I’d stolen my own experience from myself. I didn’t want to make you confess you liked me to Robbie; I wanted to hear it as Hermione. I’d fantasize about what that moment could be like, before I knew if you ever liked me and I ruined it for myself and I took it from you as well.” Hermione paused, turning her head and recalling the full weight of the moment she’d overstepped in the library d--what she’d taken from Draco and herself.

“That was when I resolved to be more careful so as not to push you, even though I had no guarantee that you’d see me again.” She imagined this was a question he struggled with. She’d been privy to information that he hadn’t wanted her to know; he was exposed and she wondered how he’d respond. 

“Why did you keep going? After the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, you no longer needed to continue practices, especially as Robbie.” 

She sighed. “That’s more complicated. On one level, I wanted to keep seeing you. If I stopped, I wouldn’t have an excuse to see you anymore. In hindsight, I obviously missed an opportunity to tell you. On another level, I wanted to keep going and keep learning how to play. I didn’t feel that we were finished with what you were teaching me even though the reason we were doing it didn’t matter anymore.” 

“Imagine,” she reflected, “after all these years, I find I’ve come to like flying and Quidditch after all. You were a really good teacher, Draco. I wanted to keep learning.” 

He never commented as she responded to his questions. She knew that he deserved to know the answers but it was driving her mad that he wasn’t saying anything. She didn’t know how he felt about her answers; she didn’t know how he felt now, about  _ her _ . 

“Listen...all of these questions. They are fair-more than fair. Can you please tell me what you’re thinking now?”

He shifted his gaze towards the ground and started to pick at a few blades of grass. 

“I’m thinking that you didn’t need to carry on as long as you did.” He turned back towards her and met her eyes. 

“I’m thinking that you took advantage. I think that you found clever ways to force us together even when I had made it clear that I didn’t intend to pursue you and you knew the reason why. I’m thinking that you hurt me. And I’m thinking that, despite everything, I still like you.” 

A hopeful feeling fluttered in her stomach and she tried to suppress it. She wondered if he might forgive her, however his face gave nothing away. She was unsure what the next words out of his mouth would be. 

“I have one more question.” He looked at her, his face still carefully neutral. “Why did you play that day? At the intramural final?”

“I wish I could say that it was because I made that deal with you to play in one intramural game, but honestly I had forgotten about it. When the opportunity to play presented itself, I decided to take it for me. Not that I didn’t think of you; I wanted you to be proud of me, because you’d invested so much in me. At the end of the day, I accomplished the goal for myself. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would play even a pick up Quidditch game, much less a match with high stakes tied to it.” 

“You probably never thought you’d score either.” 

Her breath hitched. She wondered if he had seen her score the final goal. Surely, he had to have been focused on catching the snitch. 

He smirked at her. “I don’t think you even registered the look on Morden’s face when you got one through him.” 

“You did see it.” 

He nodded in confirmation and she felt tears pricking her eyes. She’d been so disappointed that it would be a moment that they wouldn’t be able to share. 

“It was brilliant. You should be proud of yourself.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your help.” 

“I might have helped train you, but  _ that  _ shot, you did that without me. That was all you.” 

There was no real change in Draco’s demeanor and she still didn’t understand where they stood. She yearned for clarity. He had affirmed his feelings for her, but she needed to know what that meant. 

“Can we start over? From the beginning?” 

She inched closer to him, counting on him to  _ not _ respond yet. She scooted right in front of him, her knees brushing up against his. She extended her hand. He didn’t as much as blink in response to her movements. 

“I’m Hermione Granger… and Draco Malfoy convinced me that I could do something that I didn’t even believe that I could do. I want to know him and I want him to know me.” 

Hermione continued to hold her hand out before him, completely vulnerable. She’d laid everything on the table for him. She thought back to the moment she ran into him for the first time as Robbie, how Draco kept extending his hand towards her and she continued to avoid it. Internally, her resolve began to slip, anxious that he wouldn’t take it, but she kept her hand extended between them. 

And then… she felt his hand grasp hers. 

She looked at his hand in hers and the expression on her face transformed from surprise, to relief and then to joy. Before she could look up to register his reaction, she felt her entire body pulled forward. Draco’s free hand slid behind her head, pulling her lips against his in a soft but passionate kiss. Her heart was pounding and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered frantically. She opened her mouth to give him better access. Hermione felt his hand leave hers as he brought it up to cup her cheek. She latched onto the sides of his Quidditch jumper. 

She felt him pull away and then felt his forehead lean against hers. Their eyes connected and for the first time since they started talking, she finally registered a change in his expression. He looked  _ satisfied _ . A small smile graced his face.

“Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?” He asked in an almost whisper. 

She breathed, “Yes.” 

She felt his nose rub up against hers, allowing his lips to hover just over hers before he pulled back just a bit.

“One more question?”

She nodded, completely entranced by him as he teased her. 

His breath grazed her face as he whispered, “Why didn’t you just transfigure someone on the team? It didn’t have to be you.”

It was like a bucket of ice water had just been dropped on her. Hermione’s eyes widened in realization and the only thing that kept her from sitting up were Draco’s hands cupping her face. “That...would have made a lot more sense…”

Draco smirked at her. “Maybe the brightest witch of her age doesn’t always think of everything.”

He released her and stood, before extending his hand to her. “Come on, I have it on good authority that Filch rarely checks the stadium locker rooms. I can return my broom and we can spend some more time getting to know each other.” 

She stared up at his mischievous expression. She had a fleeting temptation to slap his hand away from her after that comment, but she took it and he helped her stand. 

\-----

Draco and Hermione spent the following weekend in Hogsmeade. This time they stopped by Quality Quidditch Supplies together. While Draco browsed through seeker supplies, Hermione teased him by offering to write to Viktor. “I’m sure he would sign something for you,” she dropped casually. Draco looked rather cross at the suggestion and mumbled something about no longer being a Krum fan. She turned away--hiding her amusement at his reaction. Ginny had been right that the idea may not go over well, given her previous history with Viktor. 

After he finished browsing through the seeker supplies, Draco insisted they look at the chaser section. Since Hermione had borrowed Ginny’s equipment over the past year, he believed that she needed her own set. Despite her protests, he bought her the most expensive pair of chaser gloves. She wasn’t even sure how much she would play, but Draco waved away her protests stating that he would, “ensure she got good use out of them.” 

\-----

Leading up to the final match of the season, Ginny allowed Draco to join Hermione in watching Gryffindor’s practices. The pair had built a good rapport, and for that, Hermione was thankful. She’d figured that one day soon she’d have to tell Ron and Harry about him, and when the time came, she’d need Ginny in her corner. 

When the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match was held just a few weeks later, Gryffindor won with an impressive lead. However, it was not enough to fend off Hufflepuff and they still won the Cup. The Badgers were victorious just as the rumors foretold at the beginning of the year. 

Ginny held it together for the team and for the entire house really after their match against Ravenclaw ended. They’d not secured enough points in their match to beat Hufflepuff for the Inter-house Quidditch Cup, though they had come in a close second. Hermione felt some weight of the loss and the temptation to wonder what she could have done differently or if she had been able to learn quidditch faster, would it have made a difference. Ultimately though, her primary thoughts were with Ginny. She knew her friend well enough to know she was masking her heartbreak but others were none the wiser. 

It was a devastating loss for Ginny, but she’d bounce back over time. Before the close of the school year, she was extended an official offer from the Holyhead Harpies to be a chaser for them at the beginning of the next season, which helped renew her spirits. 

\-----

A few months later, with the end of term behind them, Hermione brought Draco with her to the Burrow to visit the Weasleys; Ginny had organized a small pick up quidditch game. Harry and Ron were still adjusting to her relationship with Draco, but they behaved for the most part and Draco tried as well. 

“Ginny, did you even plan ahead? Your team is short a player.” Ron lifted up as they had finished dividing out teams; Draco was playing Seeker for Ginny’s team. 

“I didn’t miscount. Hermione’s on my team.” Ginny stated, ignoring the howls of laughter that followed from the rest of the Weasley clan. 

“Hermione?! She’s never played Quidditch in her life!” Harry and Ron keeled over in hysterics. Ginny and Draco glared at the both of them. Hermione rolled her eyes. She knew this was all part of their plan to stun the two of them with Hermione’s developing quidditch skills. 

At that point, as she had begrudgingly agreed to play, Hermione fetched her broom from her bag, which she’d had an undetectable extension charm on. That part of the prank had been Draco’s brainchild. It did nothing to deter everyone’s amusement. 

Hermione put on the Chaser gloves that Draco bought her and mounted her broom before joining the formation. The finishing touches on the prank required that Hermione hobble her way up to the circle. That idea had come from Ginny. 

Arthur tossed the Quaffle into play; it was no surprise when Ginny grabbed it first. Hermione followed Ginny’s lead down the pitch, executing the play they had agreed upon. Hermione was able to easily make her way down the line as no one was paying her any attention through. Just as she reached the scoring area, Ginny set up the Quaffle for Hermione who was able to take it the rest of the way and right past a blindsided Ron. 

Hermione looked between Ron and Harry enjoying their stunned expressions. 

“Bloody hell!” She heard Ron exclaim but he didn’t seem to be able to form any other words beyond that. Ron and Harry continued to look back and forth between Hermione and each other in disbelief. 

Though she had not found as much amusement in the planning phase that Draco and Ginny had, she had looked forward to this. The match all but completely stopped when she scored. She looked towards Draco with a knowing smile, which he returned with a smirk. 

Hermione recovered the Quaffle before it landed on the ground. She looked back over to Ron and Harry. 

“Ron, you may have considered defending with a Double Eight Loop there.” 

Harry, still looking shocked, asked, “Hermione...who taught you that?” 

“Draco.” She said, feeling a smirk that matched the one on her boyfriend’s face. 

“How?” Ron shouted suddenly. 

Hermione’s nerves flared at the question. She glanced hesitantly back towards Draco, however, she found only a reassuring smile gracing his face. 

“It’s a long story…” 


End file.
